RSF execution of popular former military sparks outrage and condemnation

May 19, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) face widespread condemnation after video footage surfaced showing the execution of retired Lieutenant Mohamed Siddiq following his capture. Siddiq had gained prominence during the 2019 sit-in at army headquarters for defying orders and supporting protesters.

The RSF fighters announced in a first video the killing of the revolutionary officer, but a second video emerged showing Siddiq alive in captivity, being slapped after his defiant response, “From which side?” to a question about his opinion on the RFS.

The incident has sparked significant outrage on social media, given Siddiq’s role in the protests that led to the ousting of former President Omer al-Bashir.

The execution has been labelled “a war crime” by Yasir Arman, a leader in the Coordination of Democratic Civil Forces “Tagaddum.” Arman also noted that the army has committed similar atrocities, emphasizing that “No one should bear the burden of another’s wrongdoing.”

Hala Al-Karib, regional director of the Network for Women of the Horn of Africa (SIHA), mourned Siddiq as “a symbol of the Sudanese revolution” and one of the first military to defy Bashir by refusing to shoot at protesters.

In 2020, Siddiq was forced into retirement by the Sudanese army for insubordination and military misconduct, along with other officers who sympathized with the protesters.

However, after the eruption of the war, he rejoined the army as a volunteer after denouncing the human rights violations committed by the paramilitary forces.

The RSF has not issued any official comment regarding Siddiq’s death. The incident highlights the ongoing brutality and human rights abuses in the conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese army.

(ST)