Over 6,500 detainees held by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group in West Darfur are facing major food shortages and dire conditions, The Sudanese Doctor’s Network warned on Thursday.
The detainees are being held in El Geneina, an area that has witnessed horrors amid the war between the Sudanese army and the RSF which started in April 2023. Clashes in the area have killed over 10,000 people, mostly from the Masalit population, while mass graves have also been found in the region.
In a statement, the medical network said the information it had was based on details from reliable sources, who indicated that the detainees are being held in several detention centres.
It specified that there are 709 women and approximately 500 children under the age of 18 in the detention facilities.
The network has previously raised the alarm over the welfare of civilian detainees across Sudan, and reiterated its concerns over the food shortages and worsening health conditions in detention centres on Thursday.
It noted that there was a rising death toll in detention centres, as well as many cases of serious health and humanitarian issues threatening the lives of thousands.
The Sudanese Doctor’s Network issued an urgent call for an investigation to be carried out into the causes of the poor conditions and for international groups to ensure they receive adequate medical care and food.
It further pushed for humanitarian organisations to be granted access to the detention centres and for transparency regarding the safety and whereabouts of the detainees, which comes amid reports of torture and ill-treatment of thousands of them.
Sudanese authorities and human rights organisations estimate that the RSF are holding around 19,800 people in their prisons, including military personnel, civilians, women and children under the age of 18.
Last month, the RSF stepped up its deadly drone attacks in government-held towns in the frontline state of North Kordofan.
Reports state that drone attacks have become the weapon of choice increasingly when it comes to the conflict in Sudan. The UN also said last month that drone attacks by both sides killed more than 1,000 civilians in the first half of this year.
