The Sudanese town of al-Hilaliya is witnessing a sad crisis, as at least 73 people have died under mysterious circumstances while the town remains besieged by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The Sudanese Doctors Union sounded the alarm late Wednesday, highlighting the tragic situation in this once-thriving trade place in El Gezira state, now under relentless RSF assault.
The crisis escalated after a top RSF commander defected to the Sudanese army, sparking a wave of retaliatory attacks on dozens of villages in eastern El Gezira, with al-Hilaliya among the hardest hit. Revenge assaults by the RSF have forced over 135,000 residents to flee, adding to the staggering 11 million people already displaced by the brutal war. Sudan’s internal conflict now stands as one of the world’s largest humanitarian catastrophes, leaving millions homeless, starving, and on the brink of despair.
While deadly shelling and gunfire have claimed countless lives across Gezira, al-Hilaliya’s tragedy takes a different turn. Reports from the town describe people mysteriously falling ill with severe diarrhea, overwhelming the limited capacity of local hospitals. The town’s isolation is further compounded by an RSF-enforced blackout, preventing accurate assessment of the cause of these illnesses. One resident, speaking to Reuters, described how three of his family members died from the illness information he only discovered days later when others escaped to an area with internet access.
Getting out of al-Hilaliya comes at a cost. Those attempting to flee report having to pay large sums at RSF checkpoints, trapping many residents who simply cannot afford the escape fee. Pro-democracy activists say the siege began on October 29, when RSF forces stormed the town, killing five people and forcing residents into three mosques. The siege is no coincidence; al-Hilaliya is the hometown of Abuagla Keikal, the defected RSF commander, a fact that seems to have made the town a target for RSF vengeance.
Looting has ravaged the town’s markets and warehouses, eyewitnesses report, stripping away the last remnants of stability for the 50,000 residents who once called al-Hilaliya home. Many of these residents had already been displaced from other conflict zones, hoping to find refuge in this relatively peaceful trade center. Satellite imagery from Yale Humanitarian Lab reveals the grim evidence of this assault: a rapid increase in cemetery sites across Gezira towns and the burning of agricultural fields in nearby Azrag.
