Leaked report reveals Islamist infiltration of Sudan’s Popular Resistance Forces
December 10, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – A leaked internal performance report from Sudan’s Islamic Movement reveals its deep infiltration of the Popular Resistance Forces (PRF), civilian militias fighting alongside the Sudanese army against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to a copy obtained by Sudan Tribune.
The report, which covers the period from April 2023 to April 2024, describes the ongoing war between the army and the RSF as a “continuation of the Zionist project in Sudan,” and details the establishment of 2,275 PRF training camps overseen by a central committee with branches in every state.
Data from the report shows that 653,106 individuals have been mobilized, with 73,912 actively participating in combat operations. The report also acknowledges 505 deaths among the Islamic Movement’s ranks, referring to them as “martyrs.”
The report celebrates what it calls “securing the army commander’s decision to mobilize the people,” but also highlights challenges, including maintaining momentum in recruitment and navigating coordination between the official and organizational visions for the PRF.
According to the report, the Islamic Movement has deployed its cadres to key battlefronts, including Sarkab, Sennar, El Fao, and the Armoured Corps, as well as within “Special Forces” units.
River Nile state leads in the number of men’s training camps, followed by Al Jazirah and Northern states. North Darfur has seen the most operational deployments, followed by South Kordofan, North Kordofan, and Gedaref. South Kordofan ranks first in youth camps, while Northern state has the most student battalions.
The report also outlines specialized training initiatives, with 211 cadres trained in drone operation and jamming systems, 2,000 personnel trained in urban warfare, and 155 in sniping. Additionally, the movement has trained 30 cadres in guided missiles, 90 in artillery, and 33 in armoured warfare.
The 28-page report repeatedly emphasizes that the PRF’s activities and public acceptance have “charted a new future for the Movement’s national and Islamic project.”
It also notes the PRF’s role in arming civilians for self-defence, revealing that some weapons were purchased with movement funds while official sources provided others.
The report asserts that the RSF ignited the war and reveals challenges faced by Islamists in coordinating and reconciling the official vision presented by the army with the organization’s vision for the Islamist resistance.
Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan recently stressed that all fighters under the PRF banner operate under the army’s command to defend the nation. He warned those with other agendas to withdraw their fighters immediately.
After months of hesitation, Burhan approved the participation of PRF elements in early 2024, followed by the issuance of regulations by state governors to organize these militias. These regulations outline the planning and implementation of general mobilization and recruitment in coordination with state security committees, and the organization and armament of mobilized forces under the supervision of the military command in each state.
It is worth noting that Sudanese Islamists have another military organization, the Al-Baraa bin Malik Battalion, whose fighters joined the Sudanese army ranks in the early months of the conflict that erupted in April 2023.
(ST)