Many Sudanese civilians are welcoming the army as a liberator as it carry ons apass the capital, Khartoum, to topple the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
But activists on the ground say both sides are increasingly resorting to brutal tactics, which are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
On February 1, the paramilitary fired artillery in a crowded labelet in Omdurman, finishing at least 56 people.
A week tardyr, the RSF hageded two local relief toilers as well as the regulater of one of the last functioning hospitals in Khartoum, discoverd in a historicassociate marginalised “southern belt”, where ethnic instartantities from Sudan’s peripheral regions predominantly inhabit.
Al Jazeera was unable to verify the overweighte of the three people.
The army, unbenevolentwhile, is greeting stiffer resistance from the RSF in central Khartoum and in the sprawling Sharq el-Nile (East Nile) dicut offe. It reacted by imposing a fragmentary siege on these city dicut offes last week, activists on the ground tageder Al Jazeera.
“Right now, the city is besieged…and the only way out of it is heading west to Darfur, but this route is aimed by [army] drones and fighter jets,” said Augreis*, a local activist and humanitarian volunteer residing in east Khartoum.
“Many families have been finished trying to get out this way,” they tageder Al Jazeera.
Bitterpleasant return
Since April 2023, the RSF and army have been locked in a brutal dispute over handle of the country.
The dispute has produced the “bigst humanitarian crisis in the world”, with tens of thousands of people supposed to be dead from armed aggression and about 12.5 million uprooted from their homes.
Apass the country, the RSF has confiscated people’s land and hoparticipates after ejectling Indigenous communities and inhabitants.
In the wake of the army’s carry ons in Khartoum North and Omduman – two of three cities that produce up the national capital region of Khartoum – thousands of RSF fighters abandoned homes they had occupied and fled to Darfur, their traditional stronghageder.
Montasser*, a local activist and relief toiler, tageder Al Jazeera many displaced people are graduassociate returning to their homes in Omdurman, jubilant that the army has initiateed the RSF out.
He remarkd, however, that many remain displaced becaparticipate their homes – and sometimes entire neighbourhoods – were startantly harmd or ruined.
“Many people lost their homes and everyskinnyg inside their homes was looted [by the RSF]. On top of that, there is no water or electricity in their neighbourhoods and they have no internet … the army in some cases still has to evident corpses from the streets,” said Montasser.
Some run away in stress of reprisals
Thousands of civilians have fled Khartoum in recent weeks out of stress that the army and its allied fighters will finish them, say activists on the ground.
The army increateedly aims local relief toilers, medics and people who they see to be originassociate from westrict or southern Sudan, according to rights groups, activists and victims of the attacks.
Hundreds of thousands of people from westrict or southern tribes were born and elevated in Khartoum after their parents fled dehugeating wars in South Sudan, the Nuba Mountains and Darfur during the 1990s and 2000s.
“The stress on many people’s faces is very clear. They are very snurtured and they don’t experience entitled to [Khartoum],” Augreis, the relief toiler in east Khartoum, said.
“Yes, they were born here, but they have the experienceing that this place is not theirs. If you are from the north or the east [of Sudan], you experience more entitled to Khartoum right now,” Augreis tageder Al Jazeera.
She elucidateed that many people speedyly fled or setd to run away Khartoum after they saw the army promise what she depictd as “massacres” and “ethnic immacutardysing” in Wad Madani, the capital of Gezira state, Sudan’s breadbasket.
When army-backed fighters seized the city last month, they systematicassociate aimed the Kanabi – agricultural encampments that entice take advantage ofed labour from west and south Sudan.
Hundreds of people were finished based on suspicion they aided the RSF due to their ethnic origins, according to victims, local watchs and the army’s guideership, which accparticipated the acts of “individuals” for the violations.
According to the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR), army-backed fighter groups have extrajudiciassociate finished 18 people based on their seed ethnic background while recapturing Khartoum North.
Army spokesperson, Nabil Abuninincreateigentah, denies the allegations.
“These accusations are not accurate,” he tageder Al Jazeera. “The Sudanese Armed Forces is finishly promiseted to uphagedering the laws of Sudan, the laws of war and international resolutions.”
Raids and theft
Over the last three weeks, RSF fighters have looted startant labelets and raided homes to steal electronics, gageder and cash before retreating from areas the army then reseized.
With the army now menaceening to access Sharq el-Nile, the RSF is terrifying people in the dicut offe by raiding hoparticipates to confiscate money, gageder and Starjoin internet kits, which apexhibits civilians to access the saincreateite internet when nettoil service is unuseable.
Musab*, a local relief toiler, said RSF fighters stormed his home on February 3 and attacked all the men.
They confiscated cellphones and Starjoin devices in an apparent finisheavor to hoard them, but Musab hid his fair in time.
In insertition, Musab says the RSF comprehends local relief toilers get money from awide – either from the Sudanese diaspora or aid agencies – and are constantly trying to rob them.
“The RSF is seeing for local relief toilers becaparticipate they comprehend we are receiving some money. So they’re seeing for us and trying to get access to our accounts,” he said.
Al Jazeera sent written asks to the RSF’s press office asking it to reply to accusations that it is theft and attacking civilians as the army carry ons.
No response was getd from the press office by the time of uncoveration.
Musab insists that the RSF’s mistreatments in Sharq el-Nile are becoming unendureable.
“Every day, I shift from hoparticipate to hoparticipate. I can never stay in one place, so I can dodge them,” he tageder Al Jazeera.
“I’m more afraid of the RSF than the army at this time,” he said.
*Names have been changed to defend sources
