Widespread Sudanese anger over Al-Burhan militia’s violations in Singa

The violations committed by militias allied with the Sudanese Army in the city of Singa and its villages have been widely condemned and invoked numerous responses, amidst calls for international intervention, investigation into the heinous crimes, and bringing those involved to justice.

Video clips circulating on social media showed armed men affiliated with the Sudanese Army storming the homes of citizens in the villages of Singa, intimidating and humiliating the women inside their homes.

One of the clips showed an armed man wearing a Sudanese Army uniform leading a girl under threat, asking her to remove the cover from her face and forcing her to pronounce words as he dictated, in order to film her in a humiliating manner.

Retaliatory Campaigns

The Democratic Alliance for Social Justice shared in a statement that the militias of the Islamic Movement and elements affiliated with the Sudanese Army carried out a full-fledged massacre against the residents of Singa city as well as other communities classified as ‘social incubators’ for the Rapid Support Forces.

The statement, a copy of which was received by “Erem News”, explained that the militias carried out extreme revenge campaigns of killing, looting, and raping women, displacing residents, in addition to assassinating the youth, using various means of oppression and abuse.

The Democratic Alliance for Social Justice condemned what it described as “Inhumane acts and heinous violations” against unarmed civilians by extremist groups, calling on the international community and human rights organizations to condemn the “dangerous behavior,” to put forth efforts to expose such actions, presenting clear accusations against the leadership of these groups and their members, in addition to bringing them to justice.

A Cowardly Position

The advisor to the Rapid Support Forces, Al-Basha Tibeaq, condemned the violations committed by the militias allied with the Sudanese Army in the city of Singa.

He stated on the “X” platform commenting on the video of the gunmen who stormed the homes of citizens in Singa, humiliated the women and filmed them under threat, “The terrorist Al-Baraa Brigades violate women’s honor, humiliate them, and document the crime that goes against the customs and traditions of the Sudanese people.”

He added that “In a cowardly position that has nothing to do with manliness and courage following the withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces from Singa, without confrontation or engagement, the cowards affiliated with the terrorist Al-Baraa Brigades storms the homes, speaking in the name of the Army and assaulting the innocent, free women who didn’t participate in a single battle.”

Tibeaq added that “This is the war of dignity that you are talking about, you immoral, dishonorable people. There are far too many incidents and violations committed by the terrorist Al-Baraa Brigades and Al-Burhan’s militias in Al-Dinder, Al-Suki, Singa and numerous villages that weren’t documented.”

War Crimes

For its part, the Singa Resistance Committees Coordination shared in a statement that “The city and neighboring villages are experiencing the most heinous massacres and assassinations based on ethnic and regional grounds, following the entry of forces supported by Jihadist Battalions and Tigray mercenaries into the city.”

The statement indicated that entire families were killed, under the pretext of cooperating with the Rapid Support Forces, announcing the documentation of multiple cases of rape against minor girls, indicating that what happened in Singa is classified as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

“The incidents taking place in Singa aren’t coincidental or random, but rather part of an organized and systematic campaign aimed at committing acts of mass annihilation against specific societal components and forcibly imposing demographic change, as an extension of a criminal path adopted by unjust forces that care not about human life or the unity of Sudan,” according to the Resistance Committees’ statement.

Videos circulating on social media showed armed men in Sudanese Army uniforms beating a group of young men, some of whom had parts of their clothes removed, before leading them to a truck.

Yaqoub Qasi commented on the video, saying: “This is your hateful racist Army and these are the violations committed by Army against innocent citizens. Where are the advocates of humanity and human rights after witnessing such barbaric acts?”

Khaled Muhyiddin posted another video on the “X” platform showing Army personnel leading a group of citizens and forcing them to ride in a truck.

He commented, saying: “There is an ethnic genocide taking place in Singa against the helpless citizen, by extremist Jihadist Battalions,” calling for the rescue of Singa citizens from terrorism.

A few days ago, the Sudanese Army announced its entry into the city of Singa in Sennar state, following the withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces, which raised serious concerns if perhaps the militias affiliated with the Army would commit massacres against civilians under the pretext of cooperating with the “Rapid Support Forces,” similar to what took place in Al-Dinder and the villages east of Sennar state.

Following the Army’s announcement of its control over the city of Singa – immediately, the militias of the former regime, such as “Al-Baraa Ibn Malik Brigades,” posted videos on social media saying that they had begun campaigns throughout the city’s neighborhoods, meaning that they had begun their revenge campaigns against citizens who hadn’t fled their homes.

Reports relayed information regarding the militias allied with the Army launching a campaign of arrests of citizens in the city of Singa on charges of collaborating with the Rapid Support Forces.

Ammar Al-Sajjad, an Islamist leader in the former Bashir regime, posted on Facebook saying that the number of people collaborating with the Rapid Support Forces in the city of Singa exceeded ten thousand people, which some considered a sign paving the way for the killing of the largest number of civilians in the city that was previously under the control of the Rapid Support Forces.

Observers shared that the Sudanese Army has made a habit of granting these extremist militias free rein to attack citizens who insist on remaining in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces, in a similar manner to the incidents that took place prior in Halfaya, north of Khartoum, and Al-Dinder in Sennar state.

The leaders of these militias enact punishments on the residents for remaining in the areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces and not moving to shelters in areas controlled by the Army, according to observers.

Reports relayed information regarding the killing of (17) citizens and wounding dozens of others in clashes between residents and militias allied with the Army, after they entered the villages of “Shaka and Al-Amara” and looted the residents’ property in addition to committing heinous violations.

In late October, human rights groups and community leaders accused the Sudanese Army of killing more than (350) civilians in the city of Al-Dinder and villages east of Sennar, under the pretext of cooperating with the Rapid Support Forces, which controlled those areas prior to withdrawal.

Reports from human rights observatories confirmed that the Army forces, supported by the battalions of the Islamic Movement, carried out a campaign of arrests and assassinations in the city of Al-Dinder targeting innocent civilians on the basis of race and tribal affiliation, resulting in the death of hundreds, all of whom belonged to the tribes of western Sudan, under the pretext of cooperating with the Rapid Support Forces during their control of the city.

The reports also confirmed that the massacre included (72) families, all of whom were civilians and had nothing to do with the conflict, and that some restaurant owners and tea sellers were killed because they provided food or services to the Rapid Support Forces during their control of the city.

Dozens of violations have previously occurred in various locations in Sudan against people of ethnic origins that represent a “social incubator” for the Rapid Support Forces in Darfur and Kordofan, after they were accused of belonging to the forces that have been fighting against the Sudanese Army since April 15th, 2023.