Death toll in Al Jazirah’s village tops 500, over 1 million displaced

November 18, 2024 (WAD MADANI) – The death toll in the Al-Hilalliya area of Al Jazirah state has risen to 527 since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of the village in late October, the Al Jazirah Conference group said on Monday, with more than a million people fleeing their homes.

The RSF has carried out retaliatory attacks on villages in eastern Al Jazirah since October 21, when its commander in the state, Abu Aqla Keikil, defected to the army.

“The conference’s monitoring committee documented 527 deaths in the city of Al-Hilalliya, including 53 children and 293 women,” between Oct. 21 and Nov. 17, the conference’s secretary-general, Al-Mubar Mahmoud, told Sudan Tribune.

Tens of thousands of residents have fled villages in eastern Al Jazirah, particularly from Al-Kamlin and Al-Laota localities, pushing the total number of displaced people to over one million, he said.

Before the violence, Eastern Al Jazirah had a population of about two million, including original residents and those already displaced from other areas within the state.

Mahmoud criticized the RSF for besieging villages in eastern and northern Al Jazirah and preventing residents from leaving unless they pay a ransom.

“Those who manage to leave are subjected to further abuses in other areas controlled by these forces,” he said.

Mahmoud also said that cholera deaths were on the rise in the Rufaa area, with the number of fatalities exceeding 100. He said the daily death toll ranged between seven and ten people.

The violence in Al Jazirah is the latest escalation in the conflict between the RSF and the army, which erupted in April.