El Fasher , May 29(Darfur 24)
Residents of El Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur state, said the army and the armed struggle movements allied with it have tightened security measures in the city, arresting civilians and storming homes under the pretext of searching for collaborators with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Since May 10, continuous clashes been taking place between the army and its allied movements and the Rapid Support Forces and the militias supporting them in El Fasher, in which more than a thousand civilians have been killed or wounded.
A citizen ,who preferred to withhold his identity for security reasons – told Darfur 24 that he saw an armed force from military intelligence storming, on Monday, the residence of Sheikh Farah Ibrahim, south of the city.
He pointed out that the force conducted a thorough search of the religious headquarters and also checked the identities of 4 police officers who fled the city of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, and who reside in the complex.
He stated that the tight security measures and checkpoints in El Fasher have become a restriction on people’s freedom through examining phones and asking about the outgoing and incoming numbers and the identity of their owners.
In turn, Othman Abdullah, a passenger car driver from the city of Al Daein, told “Darfur 24” that he was arrested by 5 armed individuals from the livestock market and taken to the silo checkpoint and forced to sit down and confess his relationship with Rapid Support Intelligence.
He stated that he assured them that he was a public transport driver and had no connection to the parties to the war, before he was released three days later.
He added: “I have arrived in El Daein, and I will not return to El Fasher again.” I found dozens of people in detention on suspicion, some of them from Nyala and others from El Fasher.”
He pointed out that the detention facility consists of “counter containers,” where more than 10 people are detained, without you being able to know the exact location by blindfolding yourself with cloth.
“Darfur 24” learned from private sources that the Sudanese army and the armed movements allied with it arrested a number of citizens at checkpoints and some homes in Dim Silk, Awlad Al-Rif, Al-Wahda South and North, Al-Salam, and Tambasi.
An eyewitness told “Darfur 24” that individuals in civilian clothes and four-wheel-drive vehicles calling themselves “anti-military” were roaming around El Fasher and arresting citizens under the pretext of cooperation and coordination with the Rapid Support Forces.
He pointed out that all residents of El Fasher know about the arrests of citizens being carried out by the Sudanese army and the forces of the armed movements, but everyone remains silent.
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