Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are wreaking havoc across El Gezira, and the world is watching in stunned disbelief. When local elders in Sharafat Alhalaween village complained about RSF fighters seizing vehicles, they were given empty promises of protection. But what followed was far from reassuring, armed men stormed the village, looting homes, firing guns, and forcing thousands to flee.
This is no isolated incident. Across El Gezira, a region crucial to Sudan’s food supply, the RSF has been on a rampage since December, turning the area into a playground for violence. Residents, activists, and even RSF recruits paint a devastating picture of looting, kidnapping, and killing as the paramilitary group struggles to keep its unruly fighters in check.
While the RSF portrays itself as a guardian of civilians, posting videos claiming to combat “rogue actors,” the reality on the ground is starkly different. The Sudanese Armed Forces, now sidelined and reduced to constant airstrikes, have little control over the situation, leaving civilians to fend for themselves.
More than 850,000 people have been displaced by this violence, according to the United Nations, which also warns that Sudan’s food production is in jeopardy. The RSF’s claims of protecting civilians ring hollow as they pillage the state’s resources and unleash terror on its inhabitants.
Despite international efforts to mediate, the situation remains dire. The RSF, rooted in the infamous Janjaweed militias, has only grown stronger, forming alliances with tribal militias and expanding its grip across Sudan’s agricultural heartland. Yet, even within the RSF, cracks are showing. Fighters, often motivated by the spoils of war, are beginning to turn on their commanders, questioning their loyalty and intent.
The violence in El Gezira is a bad reminder of the RSF’s true nature, a force driven by greed and conquest, with little regard for the lives they trample in the process. As Sudan’s humanitarian crisis deepens, the world must confront the harsh reality: the RSF is not a protector of the people; it is their oppressor.
