Wave of kidnappings raises alarm in Sudan’s South Darfur capital

NYALA – A wave of kidnappings by unidentified armed men has raised fears among residents of Nyala, the capital of Sudan’s South Darfur State, with traders, businesspeople and civil society activists reportedly abducted in recent days and taken to undisclosed locations, according to local sources.

Residents told Sudans Post that several people had disappeared after being seized by armed groups operating in different parts of the city, leaving families uncertain about their whereabouts and the reasons for their detention.

A local activist, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said a prominent businessman was abducted while returning home from the popular market in southern Nyala.

“One of the prominent traders was kidnapped by an unidentified armed group while returning from the market to his home,” the activist said, according to an account provided to Sudans Post.

The activist also reported that a well-known civil society activist had been detained last Wednesday, adding that neither his relatives nor other local contacts had received information about where he was being held.

In a separate incident, a resident of the Khartoum Bilil neighbourhood in northern Nyala said armed men raided his family’s home and abducted his brother before taking him to an unknown location.

The resident, who also requested anonymity, said his brother later contacted the family and informed them that he was being held at a detention facility inside the city.

“He contacted the family and told us he was being held in one of the detention centres in Nyala,” the resident said, according to his account.

“Since then, we have heard nothing from him,” he added.

The resident said the family had not been informed of any charges against his brother or the reasons for his detention, raising fears about his safety.

Sudans Post could not independently establish the identities of those responsible for the reported abductions or determine the number of people currently being held.

Local sources said the latest incidents marked a return of kidnappings after several months during which reports of such cases had declined.

They said traders and businesspeople were particularly vulnerable, with armed groups sometimes demanding large sums of money from families in exchange for the release of abducted relatives.

The renewed reports come amid longstanding concerns about insecurity in Nyala, which has been under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since October 2023.

In August, the RSF launched a major security operation across Nyala, deploying heavily armed personnel and establishing checkpoints along major roads and intersections following reports of kidnappings, robberies and other crimes.

The operation was intended to restore order in a city where residents had repeatedly complained about the activities of armed groups.

Kidnappings for ransom have previously been reported in the city. In July 2025, the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies documented the abduction of traders and pharmacists by armed men, including cases in which families were contacted and asked to pay substantial sums to secure their relatives’ release.

Nyala has also become an important administrative and military centre for the RSF, which controls much of Darfur following successive offensives against the Sudanese army and its allied armed groups.

The latest reports have renewed concerns among residents about the safety of civilians and the absence of reliable information concerning people taken by armed groups.

The identities of the kidnappers and the locations where those abducted are being held remain unclear.