Thousands of Sudanese families flee 7 States fearing arrests

In recent weeks, Sudan has witnessed a significant wave of mass displacement, with tens of thousands fleeing seven different states. The exodus is driven by fears of arbitrary arrests under accusations of affiliation with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

According to the Sudanese National Observatory for Human Rights, the final days of June saw the displacement of approximately 343,473 individuals - forming 68,801 families - from 38 areas across seven states. Many fled in anticipation of prosecution or retaliation, accused of ties to the RSF.

The Observatory warns that while 44% of these families found refuge in Gedaref State, over 15,000 remain without shelter and fear being targeted.

Reports continue to emerge of violations against civilians in areas under the control of the army and its allied Islamist militias. These include swift sham trials on political charges that often culminate in ethnic persecution, arbitrary detentions, torture, and forced displacement.

Mounting accusations have been leveled at the Sudanese military authorities and the Al-Baraa bin Malik militia in Khartoum, alleging a coordinated plan to forcibly displace the Nubian population from their ancestral lands.

Bulldozers operated by local authorities reportedly demolished 806 homes in Abu Riel neighborhood, Omdurman, a move widely condemned as ethnic cleansing under a veneer of legal justification.

A report by the Ru’a Media Center cites sources claiming that the demolitions are part of a covert strategy devised by leaders of the Islamic Movement - an arm of Sudan’s Muslim Brotherhood - to expel Nubians from northern states in order to "Islamize and secure" strategic regions.

According to the same sources, the directive came from high-level circles within the National Congress Party to engineer a new demographic reality serving separatist agendas.

Sultan Hassan Musa, paramount chief of the Nubian people, stated that “the Islamists’ bulldozers destroyed our ancestral homes while Nubian sons fight on the front lines in the army.” He accused the Brotherhood of repaying this loyalty with forced displacement.

A leaked document from the National Congress Party’s ‘High Security Committee’ reportedly contains secret instructions to expedite the demolition of Nubian areas under the pretext of zoning violations. The document, signed by the acting deputy governor of Khartoum in charge of land affairs - a known figure in the Islamic Movement’s inner circle - also stipulates that alternative housing be offered exclusively to Islamist loyalists.

In testimonies from the displaced, former soldier Naji Osman Dawoud (54) said legal documents proving ownership of the destroyed properties were burned at gunpoint. Dr. Mona Abdelqader recounted that members of the Al-Baraa bin Malik militia, operating under army protection, looted their belongings.

International human rights organizations have condemned the demolitions. Observers have also noted the complicity of some northern tribes in facilitating the expulsions, which coincided with public statements from Islamist leaders calling for the "securing" of the capital and the withdrawal of Nubians from the army.

Military analyst Taha Osman warned in the Ru’a Media Center report that these actions risk igniting a northern civil war and could lead to a revolt by Nubian officers within the military ranks.

The report concludes with a stark warning: "While the Islamic Movement proclaims that no voice should rise above the sound of battle, it continues to dismantle Sudan, stone by stone. This time, at the very heart of the capital, Khartoum."

One of the many civilians affected by ongoing violations in Sudan is university student Doha Shuaib, who was forcibly and arbitrarily detained without formal charges or a court appearance throughout her incarceration.

The Sudanese National Observatory for Human Rights described her arrest, allegedly for collaboration with the RSF, as further evidence of the systemic abuses committed by the military and its Islamist allies in territories under their control.

According to the Observatory, detainees often face severe conditions during custody, including enforced disappearance and inhumane treatment, clear violations of international law and the basic principles of justice.

Although the so-called Omdurman-Karrari Criminal Court ordered the release of 23-year-old Doha, a student at Nilein University, citing insufficient evidence, her case remains emblematic of a broader culture of impunity. Releases like hers occur without acknowledgment of wrongdoing or reparations for the victims, raising serious concerns about the persistent absence of accountability.

The Observatory has called on both domestic and international human rights bodies to launch independent investigations into arbitrary detention practices and unlawful releases, to hold perpetrators accountable, and to ensure such abuses are not repeated.

According to ‘Madamik’ newspaper, Doha was arrested in early January from a displacement shelter on Tuti Island and spent six months behind bars, including two weeks at the Karrari security detention center, where she faced charges of undermining the state and threatening national security. She was later transferred to Al-Thawra Police Station in District 11, and ultimately to the Women’s Prison in Omdurman.

Numerous women’s organizations - including the Unified Feminist Coordination, the Democratic Women’s Union, and No to Women’s Oppression - as well as the Emergency Lawyers and Democratic Lawyers’ Association, issued statements denouncing her arrest and demanding her immediate release.