March 17, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – Fifty civilians, including 10 volunteers, were killed and 82 others detained in Khartoum locality over the past week, a local emergency response group said on Monday, blaming the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias.
Emergency response rooms, which are independent groups, have been active in providing food and medical treatment to millions of Sudanese affected by the ongoing conflict. However, they say their efforts have been hampered by deliberate obstruction from the warring parties, including killings, detentions, and torture of their volunteers.
“The past week witnessed the killing of 50 citizens, including at least 10 volunteers, and the abduction and detention of 70 civilians, in addition to 12 volunteers,” the Khartoum Locality Emergency Room said in a statement seen by Sudan Tribune.
The group said it had received reports of rape but could not provide a precise number due to social stigma and fear.
It accused the RSF and allied militias of committing widespread violations in Khartoum locality neighbourhoods, targeting unarmed civilians.
Mercenaries from South Sudan also face accusations of committing atrocities against civilians under the cover of the RSF.
The Khartoum Locality Emergency Room reported an increase in malnutrition cases among children, the elderly, and pregnant women, leading to the deaths of seven children since the beginning of March.
The statement said residents of Khartoum locality face severe restrictions on movement, hindering their access to food and water. Community kitchens have also been looted and subjected to intimidation, it added.
The group said the health and environmental situation is deteriorating amid the spread of disease, a lack of medicine, and the closure of clinics, health centres, and hospitals. Volunteer health workers have also been targeted, it added.
Khartoum locality encompasses dozens of residential neighbourhoods, including Imtidad Nasser, Burri, Al-Duyoum, Al-Kalaklat, Al-Sahafa, Arkweet, Al-Jiref West, Al-Riyadh, and Soba Al-Shahin, most of which are under RSF control.
The Khartoum Emergency Room said documenting violations was difficult due to communication network outages and limited access to Starlink satellite internet services.
The group condemned the violations against civilians and volunteers and called for their immediate cessation.
The RSF has recently launched retaliatory campaigns against civilians in central, eastern, and southern Khartoum neighbourhoods, coinciding with the army’s advance, restricting movement, and reportedly killing those fleeing their homes, according to the emergency group and local residents.
