(Hemeidti–Al-Hilu) Militias Kidnap Hundreds of Youths in Nuba Mountains

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–Al-Hilu faction have arrested hundreds of young people in the Tabasa area of rural Al-Abbasiya Taggali Locality in South Kordofan, following their refusal to comply with forced conscription.

The Nuba Mountains Platform reported that joint operations by the two forces involved raids on private homes, resulting in the detention of over 700 youths. During one such operation, Yousuf Siddig, known as “Drogba,” a player for Al-Ahly Tabasa football team, was shot dead while attempting to resist arrest.

According to the platform, the detentions were carried out under direct threats to the youth: either join the fighting compulsorily or pay a large ransom. Several homes were also searched and looted, with valuable items seized.

The platform described the arrests as the largest campaign to date related to opposition to forced conscription.

Community activist Ammar Hassan, via his personal Facebook page, stated that the Tabasa area, located northwest of Al-Abbasiya in the eastern Nuba Mountains, is witnessing a serious security escalation. He explained that the alliance of Hemeidti and Al-Hilu militias launched a violent assault on the region to enforce the compulsory recruitment of local youths.

Hassan noted that the campaign began last week and intensified with the arrest of dozens of youths in Tabasa and surrounding areas, with approximately 700 youths kidnapped. He described the practices as extortionate, requiring either joining the militias or paying a ransom for release, and confirmed that at least seven youths were killed, with others injured, though their exact number remains unclear.

A local source, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told Al-Tara Sudan that the forced conscription campaign in some areas of the eastern Nuba Mountains had been ongoing for some time. The youths are compelled to take an oath and are then sent for training in territories controlled by the SPLM–Al-Hilu faction.

The source confirmed that the areas most targeted by the SPLM–Al-Hilu for forced recruitment include Tabasa, Gardud Tawil, Um Esh, Hillat Deen, and surrounding areas.

He added that the militias have continued looting and pillaging in the eastern Nuba Mountains, resulting in the halt of civilian movement and trade.