RSF soldiers in Khartoum accused of killing mentally disabled individuals
June 9, 2024 (KHARTOUM) – Private sources have revealed to Sudan Tribune that several mentally disabled individuals have been killed in various areas of Khartoum by soldiers belonging to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), either by shooting or torture.
The fate of dozens of patients in mental hospitals in Khartoum remains unknown after the outbreak of war.
A member of the Khartoum Emergency Rooms, speaking to Sudan Tribune on the condition of anonymity for safety reasons, stated that RSF soldiers killed several mentally disabled people during the initial months of the war. Various committees, activists, and families have buried these individuals in different areas.
Two members of Emergency Committees in Bahri confirmed that more than three mentally disabled people were shot by RSF soldiers. They stressed that the soldiers kill these individuals on sight.
Alim Ahmed, a Bahri resident who fled to South Sudan, witnessed the killing of three mentally disabled people on Al-Sayyid Ali Street (Shambat Street) at different times.
Ahmed confirmed that RSF soldiers, who had set up a base near a gas station at the beginning of the road, opened fire on the individuals. He stated that the soldiers justified the killings of some residents by claiming the individuals posed a danger to them.
Hunger and psychological distress exacerbate the situation
In a separate incident, a woman identified as Mrs M was rushed to the International Hospital in Khartoum Bahri after falling into a coma. This occurred after she received news of the death of her 9-year-old daughter due to hunger. The child’s health had deteriorated two weeks prior, and she suffered from complications related to the lack of food.
Since the outbreak of war in mid-April 2023, Mrs. M’s family has been unable to leave Khartoum. They relocated to Bahri for financial reasons and resided in a neighbourhood controlled by the RSF. The family relied on aid from food organizations, but the child (N) suffered for two months due to a lack of sustenance. Despite their struggles, Mrs M and her family tried to help others in their neighbourhood by providing alternative food to the “lentil night” that had become their staple meal.
Mrs. M described the dire situation in Khartoum, where residents are effectively under siege and must pay fees to leave their neighbourhoods. She entrusted her child to “the Almighty God who will avenge her from the combatants.”
Helplessness and fear
In an interview with Sudan Tribune, Shimaa Musab, a psychologist with the Nidaa Al-Tanmiya (Development Call) organization, working with UNICEF, described the difficult situation of those in combat zones and their suffering from fear, anxiety, and lack of services.
Psychiatrist Um Salma Youssif confirmed in an interview with Sudan Tribune that most of those arriving in different areas within the country are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and other mental illnesses as a result of the war.
Youssif pointed out in her interview the “amount of frustration and despair dominating the thinking of the displaced, with no future plans and fear of hunger and disease.”
She added, “What hurts them the most is unemployment, as most of the displaced suffer from unemployment, which increases their psychological state and despair.”
At the same time, she spoke of a state of panic and fear that may lead to terror among those who stayed for long periods in war zones or those remaining there.
She continued, “The impact on the person residing in war zones may be a lifelong illness, but first, the person enters a pathological state called shock.”
The psychologist indicates that this condition may last from six months or more depending on the therapeutic intervention for the person, confirming that the accompanying diseases are severe anxiety, pathological fear, depression, frustration, and feeling insecure.
In the first week of the war, the community of psychotherapists established a central site consisting of 444 cadres of doctors and counsellors to provide psychological support. Doctors in major Sudanese cities and countries of immigration (Egypt, Gulf states, the United States, Canada, and Britain) also declared a state of emergency to work around the clock in private clinics and through the website or home visits to provide advice, prescriptions, and direct therapy sessions.
Social worker Thuraya Ibrahim confirmed to Sudan Tribune that there are psychological and social effects on different groups as a result of the war and staying in combat zones, including children, women, and the elderly.
Ibrahim believed that people who have experienced problems during the war and those emotions need psychological and social rehabilitation, in addition to others suffering from exacerbation of their psychological conditions after the suspension of psychological services and hospitals.
She noted that each of these groups has its own needs, in addition to the difference in tolerance between the different groups and from person to person.
The worker said that some believe that fear is not necessary, but she considered that fear is a natural feeling and there is no shame in it, noting that children are more affected by fear, as some of them died due to shock, as did some elderly people for the same reasons.
Ibrahim confirmed that the bad outcome of fear is death, stressing that the reassurances obtained are not enough and safe paths must be provided for those remaining or present in combat zones.
At the same time, she expressed her fear of losing more people due to fear and not providing safe paths that allow for a relative reduction in fear and movement to safe areas to reduce feelings of fear.
The social worker stressed that the constant feeling of fear can lead to a person entering a very bad psychological spiral that is difficult to treat.
She mentioned that the lack of adequate food has increased the suffering of Sudanese people who have been exposed to hunger, which is a serious problem, as reports from the World Food Program indicate.