Full details of the RSF militia crimes in the city of (Singa) in central Sudan (2-3)
Investigation: Al-Taj Osman
In the first episode, we revealed in detail the random bombing that the city’s residents were subjected to in its various neighborhoods, which caused the death of dozens of innocent citizens. In this second episode, we will reveal the extent of the systematic plundering of the large Singa market, the popular market, pharmacies, hospitals, homes and citizens’ vehicles, in addition to the looting of huge numbers of tractors from agricultural projects in the state.
On Foot
After the Janjaweed militia stormed Singa, I decided to leave for the city of Al-Dindir and spent my night in a (mango) orchard in an area near Singa with some families. Early in the morning, I crossed the Blue Nile by boat to the eastern bank and from there on foot to Al-Dindir, which I arrived in after more than seven hours.
Sleeper Cells
I was also an eyewitness when the Janjaweed invaded Al-Dindir, where I noticed after arriving there before the afternoon a strange movement of motorbikes coming from inside the city towards the bridge, with people in civilian clothes on them. After that, we heard the sound of machine guns being fired into the air after the same people mentioned took off their civilian clothes and put on the familiar Rapid Support Forces (RSF) uniform. It seems that they were what are called (sleeper cells) that were present inside the city of Al-Dindir. After they fired shots into the air, chaos broke out among the citizens present at the entrance to Al-Dindir Bridge from the western side. Then, I saw a number of militia members boarding tourist buses that were on their way to Al-Gadarif, Kassala and Portsudan. They stripped the passengers of their money and the women of their gold jewelry, to the point that they even removed the gold earrings from the ears of young girls, instilling fear and panic in their souls.
I Buried my Press Card
At that moment I decided to return to the city of Singa, so I returned on foot to Singa. On my way back to Singa I saw hundreds of vehicles plundered from citizens from Singa and Al-Dindir parking on both sides of the road, most of them without tires and some of them completely smashed. It seems that they were involved in accidents as some militia members learn to drive in them.
On my way to Singa, I was questioned and abused by the militia checkpoints and accused of being a soldier and they repeatedly asked me after searching me: Why don’t I carry a bag with me, no money, no mobile phone, and no national ID card, which I buried with my press card at one of the sites in Singa because they unveil my journalistic identity to the Janjaweed, as they fear journalists the most and believe that they are intelligence and spies for the army.
Ghost Town
After a long walk, I returned to Singa. In fact, it was not the beautiful Singa that I knew. It had turned into a ghost town completely devoid of its inhabitants. All you could see in its neighborhoods were dogs and cats. The rebel militia plundered all the shops and warehouses in Singa’s major market and the popular market south of the city. Many of the shops and building materials warehouses were burned after they were ransacked and emptied of their goods, which were loaded into dozens of burgled trucks and transported to the city of Wad Madani and some to western Sudan, which caused a severe shortage of food supplies.
The most dangerous thing is that the Janjaweed plundered all the tractors and agricultural machinery from the projects. There is a famous farmer in Singa who, according to his testimony, they burgled about (200) agricultural tractors from his projects outside Singa. I saw a number of carts (locally known as Carroo) coming from some of the villages surrounding Singa carrying stolen goods from homes that were empty of their inhabitants, mainly refrigerators, gas cylinders, beds, mattresses and household utensils. As for the food items robbed from the citizens’ stores, I saw them exhibited for sale in the popular market, which they called the (Dagalo) market – a market for looted goods – where they sell the burgled food items, along with hashish (locally named “bango”) and bullets.