Uncertain Fate of Nyala Activists After RSF Transfers Them to Unknown Whereabouts

Families of detained women activists in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State, have expressed growing concern after losing all communication with their relatives who were transferred from “Korea” Prison to an undisclosed location.
Intelligence units affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia had earlier carried out an arrest campaign targeting several prominent female activists following their participation in a workshop on women’s rights.
Those detained include broadcaster Ishraga Abdelrahman, Dr. Manahil Mustafa Al-Sanousi (Director of Al-Manhal Training Center), radio presenter Zahra Mohammed Al-Hassan, and activist Mawahib Ibrahim, amid unconfirmed reports that activist Izdehar Abdel-Monim Hamid has also been detained.
Al-Hassan Ibrahim, “one of the detainees’ relatives, said the families had previously been able to check on them while they were held in Korea Prison south of the city, but were shocked last Thursday to learn they had been moved to an unknown whereabouts.
According to Ibrahim, RSF members responded to family inquiries by stating only that the detainees were “under investigation” regarding their recent activities in the city.
Meanwhile, a relative of detainee Mawahib Ibrahim revealed that she had been taken from her home in Al-Sadd Al-Aali neighborhood by a plain-clothed force without explanation, adding that contact with her has been completely lost for three days.
For her part, Noon Kashkoush, a member of the Emergency Lawyers group, warned of the serious risks facing the detainees, calling for their immediate release and protection.
Kashkoush stated that Nyala has become an increasingly hostile environment for freedom of opinion and expression, alleging the existence of detention centers holding more than 600 female detainees, where serious violations and gender-based violence are reportedly taking place.
The arrests reportedly followed a workshop organized by the initiatives “Women Journalists for Peace” and “Natakallam”, which discussed women’s rights under international law and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.
The workshop concluded with recommendations calling for economic and political empowerment of women and the activation of laws deterring violence against women—activities that appear to have been met with security pressure and reprisals.