Nyala, August 31 (Darfur24)
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have released more than 70 detainees from Daqris Prison and other detention centers in Nyala, South Darfur State, over the past two weeks, according to three RSF sources.
The releases followed the formation of a high-level committee tasked with reviewing detainees’ files and determining whether sufficient evidence supports the charges against them.
The sources said the committee includes representatives from the judiciary, prosecution, legal profession, police and intelligence services and is reviewing about 10 cases a day.
Most of those released were civilians, some of whom had been detained for more than a year. The releases included detainees held at Daqris Prison, an intelligence detention center and a security detention facility in Nyala’s industrial area.
An RSF source said priority was given to detainees with critical or chronic health conditions, as well as RSF personnel and civilians who had been held for more than a year.
Among those reportedly released were Native Administration leaders Abbas Mohammed Ali, mayor of Al-Burnu in Rahad Al-Bardi, and Othman Ezz El-Din, mayor of Awlad Saadan in Buram locality. Also released were RSF officers Colonel Ahmed Hamdan Jabr and Al-Jazouli Al-Tahir, commander of the force’s Rahad Al-Bardi and Umm Dafuq sector, according to the source.
Another source said several detainees remain in critical health conditions and called for their cases to be reviewed, either for release or bail to allow them to receive medical treatment.
The source also said several detainees had recently died, particularly those suffering from chronic illnesses, due to a lack of adequate medical care.
Most of the detainees, according to the sources, are accused of communicating or coordinating with the Sudanese army and the joint forces allied with it. Others were detained for possessing or sharing photos and videos related to the army or joint forces, or for verbally expressing support for them.
Some detainees were arrested in areas that witnessed fighting with the RSF, including El Fasher and parts of Kordofan, while others were transferred from Khartoum following the army’s recapture of the capital.
Family Receives Death Report
Meanwhile, the family of retired Sudanese army General Essam Osman Zain Al-Abidin said they had received information about his death inside Daqris Prison after a recently released detainee informed them that he had died some time ago.
The RSF maintains tight security around Daqris Prison, located in South Darfur’s Al-Salam locality. Families reportedly face difficulties visiting detainees, with visits often requiring local mediation or intervention by RSF officers.
Darfur24 has previously documented deaths among detainees at Daqris Prison. Families of some deceased detainees said they learned of their relatives’ deaths from prisoners who were subsequently released.
There are no official figures on the number of detainees held at Daqris Prison. Former detainees told Darfur24 that the facility holds thousands of people from across Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum, Al-Jazirah and Sennar.