Mass displacement and looting in Sinjah after RSF attack

June 30, 2024 (SINJAH) – Sinjah, the capital of Sennar State, and the surrounding areas are experiencing a mass exodus of civilians following the attack on the city by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Saturday. The RSF is accused of widespread looting and human rights violations.

Local sources reported that RSF members looted shops, houses and the market in Sinjah, about 350 kilometers southeast of Khartoum, immediately after entering the city. Eyewitnesses reported that RSF fighters stormed houses and demanded valuables such as cars, mobile phones, money and jewelry.

Thousands of residents of Sinjah and surrounding villages have been displaced. They fled southwest towards Blue Nile State or east across the Nile to Gedaref State. The influx of displaced people has led to significant traffic jams on the roads between Sennar and Gedaref.

Videos shared on social media show panicked civilians leaving their homes on foot or by car and seeking refuge in towns such as Abu Hugar, Dinder and Wad Al Neel. Sennar state, which already hosts displaced people from other conflict regions, is currently grappling with a new wave of internally displaced people from the Jabal Moya region, which fell under RSF control last Monday.

The Sennar Observatory for Human Rights has accused the RSF of holding dozens of patients and medical staff as human shields at the Sinjah Teaching Hospital and preventing them from leaving. They also claim that the RSF is using the hospital as a military base, in clear violation of international humanitarian law.

The RSF’s advance into Sinjah has sparked a new humanitarian crisis. Thousands have been displaced and there are reports that the RSF is harassing fleeing civilians, stealing their belongings and forcing families from their vehicles.

On Saturday, the RSF announced the capture of the headquarters of the 17th Infantry Division in Sinjah, a major military base in Sennar state. This offensive coincided with a visit by the army commander-in-chief, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, to the town of Sennar, which had already been attacked by the RSF on June 25.