Sudan's RSF paramilitary accused of systematic looting in Darfur market

The governor of Sudan's Darfur region, Mini Arko Minnawi, has publicly accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of looting a major marketplace in the city of Nyala on Thursday. The allegation raises serious concerns about targeted violence and a strategy for demographic change in the war-torn western region of Sudan.

Allegations of a coordinated plan

In a statement posted on social media, Governor Minnawi claimed the widespread plunder of shops and passers-by at the Nyala market was not a random act. He described it as a systematic operation devised by the RSF's intelligence apparatus to directly target traders from specific ethnic backgrounds. "What happened today in the city of Nyala... is not a random incident," Minnawi stated, framing the attack as "a deliberate attempt to impoverish these communities and force them to flee, as part of a long-term plan for demographic change in the region." The RSF has not issued an immediate comment on these grave charges.

Control of the city and wider conflict

The city of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, has been under RSF control since October 2023. It serves as a headquarters for the "Sudan Founding Alliance," a coalition that announced a parallel government led by RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in July. This incident occurs amid the larger Sudanese civil war, a brutal conflict between the national army and the RSF that began in April 2023. The fighting has resulted in thousands of deaths and displaced millions across the northeast African nation.

The regional military landscape

The RSF currently holds all five states of the Darfur region, except for some northern areas of North Darfur retained by the army. The Sudanese military, in contrast, maintains control over most of the country's other 13 states, including the capital, Khartoum. This stark territorial division underscores the fragmented nature of the conflict. As regional and international actors, including Türkiye which has historical ties to Sudan, call for dialogue and humanitarian relief, reports of systematic looting and alleged ethnic targeting threaten to further complicate peace efforts and deepen the human tragedy.