RSF accused of poisoning hundreds in besieged Hilaliya, eastern Gezira | Tens of thousands displaced from Gezira to eastern Sudan

Nearly 500 people have died in recent days in the Gezira State city of Hilaliya, which has been under siege since October 25 as the Rapid Support Forces conducted a widespread retaliatory campaign in villages and cities across the state in response to the defection of their former leader. 

The city’s death toll has surged to unprecedented levels, with entire families killed, and transformed the area into a sprawling graveyard. Multiple parties have accused the RSF of poisoning food that they sent into the city. 

The siege of the 30,000-person city began on October 25. Five days later, the RSF stormed the city, destroying its wells, looting its warehouses, attacking hospitals and cutting electricity cables. On November 5, the city’s remaining wheat stock ran out. A day later is when the wheat shipment parities say was laced with poison entered the city. 

In response to the deteriorating condition in the city on November 8, RSF commander Mak Abu Shotal visited the city, claiming to have brought medicine and denying his forces’ involvement in besieging or looting the city.

However, a RSF source told Mada Masr that Abu Shotal lacks command authority due to a breakdown in the RSF’s hierarchical leadership in Gezira State, where command has fractured into competing factions operating independently. The source added that Abu Shotal’s visit to Hilaliya was driven by military objectives.

Meanwhile, the death toll in Hilaliya continues to rise by the hour. By Monday, over 350 fatalities were reported, including 15 who were shot and the rest poisoned, according to Wad Madani resistance committees. On Tuesday, the toll rose to nearly 500 victims.

In response, US Special Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello demanded RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo to answer for reports of his soldiers poisoning hundreds of residents in Hilaliya.

The Civil Front for Democracy attributed the violence to war itself. In a statement made on Sunday, they reiterated their call for safe civilian zones protected by an impartial international force, among other measures to end the war.

Government officials told Mada Masr that large numbers of displaced people fled from eastern Gezira State to eastern Sudan, and camps have been set up to shelter them.

135,000 displaced from eastern Gezira State

The exodus from villages in eastern Gezira State and other areas of the state shows no signs of slowing down. A source in the Humanitarian Aid Commission told Mada Masr that around 135,000 people have been displaced from eastern Gezira and Kamlin localities, with around 100,000 displaced to Gadarif and Kassala states. 

Mohamed Ali, a resident who fled from Tambul in eastern Gezira State, told Mada Masr that more than 15 children died on the journey from Tambul to Kassala due to severe hunger and thirst, with no means of communication available along the route. Ali also said the RSF prevented some displaced people from carrying essential medical supplies, which particularly impacted the elderly, diabetes and hypertension patients, and those suffering from joint pain. Concerned for their health, some opted to return to their villages.

Tahany Essam, who also fled from eastern Gezira State, told Mada Masr that her family fled after the RSF ordered their village’s evacuation, demanding they surrender all possessions, food supplies and crops. When some families resisted, the RSF responded with gunfire.

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RSF accused of distributing poisoned food in Hilaliya

Sudanese and international parties accused the RSF of killing hundreds in Hilaliya in eastern Gezira State by distributing poisoned food, attributing the recent surge in deaths to poisoning following the RSF’s raid on the city in late October. This is part of a broader retaliatory campaign launched against Gezira State’s civilians in recent weeks, after RSF commander in Gezira State Abu Agla Keikel defected to the military on October 20. 

On Monday, Wad Madani resistance committees reported that RSF forces are holding 30,000 people in Hilaliya city, effectively turning it into a large detention camp. The committees also reported that 350 residents of the city were killed, with 15 of them shot and the rest poisoned.

According to the statement, RSF forces brought chemically treated wheat seeds used in farming into Hilaliya, causing mass poisoning and dozens of deaths “by the hour.”

On the same day, US Special Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello stated that reports that the RSF poisoned hundreds in Hilaliya “shock the conscience,” adding that poisoning food in a country suffering from famine is an “especially heinous act.” Periello said that Hemedti and the RSF leadership “need to answer for this,” urging the immediate provision of emergency aid to Hilaliya.

During a United Nation Security Council session on Sudan and South Sudan on Tuesday, Sudan Permanent Representative to the UN Al-Harith Idriss also accused the RSF of targeting agricultural production areas, burning crops and selling chemically treated seeds in markets, exposing thousands to poisoning and death. 

On Sunday, the Civil Front for Democracy issued urgent recommendations, calling on the warring parties and the international community to prioritize the immediate protection of civilians. Among these is the appointment of a UN regional humanitarian coordinator to address the famine and the severe humanitarian crisis and ensure the delivery of aid. 

The front also urged the expansion of the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction to all of Sudan to ensure accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity and other violations committed by the RSF, the Sudanese Armed Forces and their allied forces. 

Additionally, the front recommended extending the arms embargo in Darfur to include all Sudan, to stem the flow of weapons that fuel the war. They also proposed establishing safe zones for civilians, protected by an impartial international force. 

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RSF’s three factions in Gezira State

The RSF forces in Gezira State are divided into three military factions, with field commanders controlling various military zones, leading to occasional clashes due to a lack of centralized leadership. The largest RSF faction was previously led by Abu Agla Keikel before he defected to the military. The second faction is under Galha Rahma Mahdi’s command and the third is led by Mohamed Adam Gogga.

The eastern Gezira and Kamlin states, two of Gezira’s seven localities, have suffered the most from RSF violations, with the worst abuses occurring in villages controlled by combat units either operating solely for looting or retaliating in response to Keikel’s rebellion against the RSF leadership.

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Displacement camps set up in eastern Sudan

The National Human Rights Commissioner in eastern Sudan Sara Babiker told Mada Masr that over 20,000 families have recently sought refuge in shelters and displacement camps in New Halfa, Kassala State, after recent RSF attacks on towns and villages in eastern Gezira State.

Babiker said that 80 feddans have been allocated to house the displaced in Domiat and Arab 6 village in New Halfa, as well as several other areas in the Khashm al-Girba locality, with marquees set up to provide meals for the displaced.

Babiker voiced concern over what she describes as a war primarily targeting civilians in eastern Gezira State, highlighting severe human rights abuses committed by RSF forces in these areas.

According to Babiker, RSF soldiers raided homes, launching the most brutal retaliatory campaigns. She reported incidents of sexual assault, suicide, torture of children and elderly people, and miscarriages caused by terror and forced long journeys on foot.

“One of the tragedies we documented involved a girl whom RSF militants tried to snatch away from her father’s grasp. When he resisted, they shot him,” Babiker said. “Her pleas fell on deaf ears, and they went on to commit their crimes.”

She warned against silence, stressing that these brutal actions leave devastating effects on victims and their families.

Babiker also stressed the urgent need for more aid. While the local community and some international organizations have helped provide initial emergency needs, further assistance is required, she said.

A government source also told Mada Masr that the majority of those fleeing eastern Gezira State are concentrated in the Arab 6 village. Residents and organizations contributed to setting up tents, the source said, adding that there are significant numbers of displaced people in New Halfa stadium, with some families left exposed in open areas. The source said that over 160,000 displaced persons have been registered in Kassala State since the outbreak of the war, with an estimated 60,000 more unregistered. 

Plans are underway to relocate displaced families from New Halfa to camps outside the city, in the Arab 6 and Domiat villages, the government source said, adding that the government is working swiftly to prepare facilities and register displaced individuals at two camps in the area.

The influx has also created  an urgent demand for medical supplies, as well as for isolation centers to address the cholera outbreak among the displaced, the source added.

Babiker said that displaced families in Kassala State now exceed 97,847. Regarding the planned relocation of displaced families from New Halfa, Babiker said, “New Halfa is a small city. It had 49 displacement centers, but following the events in eastern Gezira State, 52 additional shelters were opened. This relocation does not affect the permanent centers but rather the families camped in public squares and streets.”

“An additional camp has been established in Domiat to accommodate the displaced, who will not be moved until basic necessities are secured,” she added.

Haitham Ibrahim, media officer for the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, told Mada Masr that they have set up an emergency tent in New Halfa to register displaced people and provide medical services, with the hospital in Khashm al-Girba prepared to receive critical cases.

Ibrahim added that 500 displaced families from eastern Gezira received food aid from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Thousands fleeing eastern Gezira State have also headed to Gadarif State, mainly in the towns of Faw, Mafaza and Butana localities. Local sources who spoke to Mada Masr reported dire living conditions, with limited shelter and relief aid available.

A local activist told Mada Masr that shelters are overcrowded, forcing many to sleep on the streets and near international aid offices. Most shelter sites are in schools, with some classrooms housing multiple families. The activist also noted drinking water shortages, limited toilet facilities and an urgent need for heaters as winter approaches.

Gadarif State has previously received displaced people from Khartoum, Wad Madani, and, more recently, from Singa and towns in Sennar and eastern Gezira states. The activist said that many of the displaced live with friends or relatives, sharing shelter and food amid concerns about state plans to evict the displaced from schools and relocate them to alternative shelters ahead of Sudan’s national exams in December.

In the Red Sea State and the temporary administrative capital Port Sudan, conditions for the displaced are similarly dire. Local sources told Mada Masr that heavy rains have compounded challenges, with flooding affecting several displacement centers, including schools sheltering displaced families.

The International Organization for Migration’s Displacement Tracking Matrix reported on November 1 that over 27,000 households — around 135,400 people — have been displaced from Gezira State between October 20 and 30. An OCHA report noted that the number of displaced people from Gezira arriving in Gadarif, Kassala, and River Nile states continue to increase. 

The Gezira Conference platform stated on Sunday that RSF forces killed 1,237 civilians in northern and eastern Gezira State over the past three weeks, in addition to forcibly displacing more than 400 of eastern Gezira State’s 515 villages, with the remaining ones under siege and facing threats.