Escalation of fighting in Al-Jazeera State

7 December 2024

Significant battles have intensified in Al-Jazeera State in central Sudan recently, marking a potential turning point in the ongoing war while civilians are continually displaced and forced towards the eastern states.

Daily, hundreds of displaced individuals from eastern Al-Jazeera State, where clashes occur between the army, allied factions, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), seek refuge in Gedaref and River Nile States.

The army and its allies are actively striving to recapture control of Al-Jazeera State by launching attacks from four different directions aimed at infiltrating the state capital, Wad Medani.

According to a military source who spoke to Ayin, the first axis originates from the town of Al-Managil, located west of Al-Jazeera State, with its vanguards stationed in the areas of Al-Muhairiba, Mukharif, and Al-Azzazi.

The second axis, which originated from Sennar Sugar Factory, reached the outskirts of Wad Al-Haddad City. Abu Akla Kaikal, a former RSF commander who defected, is leading constant battles in the other two axes, which originate from Al-Faw and Rafah in the island’s east, causing regular displacement of residents.

There is conflicting information about the actual control points in the eastern axis of Al-Jazeera State. The town of Umm al-Qura witnessed fierce battles, and both the army and the RSF claim to have captured it. Each party also published video clips claiming victory, showing landmarks within the city and prisoners of war as “proof”.

RSF Claim victory in Umm al-Qura (social media)

Absent protection

While the conflict intensifies, neither warring party has shown any concern for the welfare of the citizens, often forcing them to flee and stripping them of their possessions in the process. This is what happened with Hassan Abdel Rahman, who arrived in Shendi, River Nile State, at the end of last week, coming from one of the areas surrounding Umm Al-Qura locality. “Rapid Support Force soldiers targeted civilians, particularly men, and beat, robbed, and humiliated them despite the fact that they were unarmed and lacked any equipment or identification badges to indicate that they were members of the popular resistance.”

Given the growing number of people fleeing the fighting in eastern Al-Jazeera State, Hassan and the newly displaced people in Shendi, River Nile State, are having a difficult time finding shelter and food. Their livelihood depends entirely on the support of volunteers.

The conflict in eastern Al-Jazeera State increased following the defection last October of the former RSF commander Abu Akla Kaikals. The International Organisation for Migration reports that since then, about 52 villages that witnessed fighting have displaced 343,000 people to the states of eastern and northern Sudan.

The spokesman of the local human rights monitoring group, the Al-Jazeera Conference, Haitham Al-Sharif, claims that there are ongoing violations against civilians in the southern areas of Al-Jazeera State, citing the deaths of nine citizens in the villages of Al-Safa, Wad Shamaa, Al-Talih, and Wahmaidan. The Rapid Support Forces’ displacement of residents over the past month has left areas in the east of Al-Jazeera completely empty, he added.

The army and allied militias in Al-Jazeera State (social media)

Systematic violations

For his part, the spokesman for the Youth Network for Civilian Monitoring in Sudan, Khaled Mashin, condemned what he described as a series of systematic violations in Al-Jazeera State that show widespread targeting of civilians. These violations are inconsistent with international humanitarian law, which stipulates the protection of civilians during armed conflicts.

Mashin emphasised that the four Geneva Conventions mandate treating civilians with humanity, without discrimination, and refraining from targeting or exploiting them as human shields. These violations also conflict with legal obligations under international human rights law, which requires strict accountability for those responsible for these crimes, ensuring justice for the victims, and respecting the principles of basic human rights.