Activists accuse Sudan’s RSF of looting food aid, attacking volunteers

 August 15, 2024 (KHARTOUM) – Activists on Thursday accused Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of looting food supplies intended for collective kitchens and firing at volunteers in the Shambat area of Khartoum Bahri, north of the capital.

The RSF has controlled the Shambat area, as well as other areas in the Khartoum Bahri, since the early days of the war.

A statement issued by the Shambat Resistance Committees said armed individuals belonging to the RSF stole food supplies intended for collective kitchens known as Takaya in the Shambat area, assaulted volunteers and stole their phones.

The Takaya, funded by donations, prepare free daily meals for area residents who have lost their livelihoods due to the war’s disruption of economic activities and work. In Shambat alone, they provide meals to over 1,400 families as the war continues to impact their lives.

The statement said the cessation of the free kitchens would threaten the lives of residents who have become dependent on them amid a lack of jobs and humanitarian aid.

It also said there were no forces protecting civilians as had been rumoured, and no such forces have been formed since the war began.

RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo recently announced the formation of a special force to protect civilians and assist in aid delivery.

The statement said these kitchens were the last remaining resource for Shambat’s besieged residents, and that attacks on workers there were exacerbating the humanitarian situation.

It further spoke of systematic attacks on residents, including beatings, searches and looting.

The groups called on the RSF to abide by international humanitarian law, stop interfering with food supplies and remove its armed personnel from the area.

Authorities in areas controlled by the army prevent some goods from reaching RSF-controlled areas in Khartoum and have imposed strict security measures, worsening living conditions for remaining residents.