Nairobi, October 7 (Darfur24)
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in East Darfur State have released 26 members of the Sudanese police after detaining them for a month in Abu Karinka locality on charges of communicating with authorities in Port Sudan and receiving monthly salaries from the government.
Informed sources told Darfur24 that the RSF held a special court session for the detained officers and ordered each to pay a fine of 200,000 Sudanese pounds. The officers were also warned against maintaining any contact with the government led by Sudanese Army Commander Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan.
Hundreds of Sudanese police officers and their families remain in East Darfur, suspended from duty since the RSF took control of the state in November 2023.
Since August, the RSF has carried out mass arrests targeting military personnel and politicians in Abu Jabara, Al Daein, Bahr Al Arab, Adila, and Abu Karinka. While some detainees have been released, dozens were sentenced to prison, fined, and transferred to Nyala prisons.
The RSF now maintains full control over East Darfur and has established a parallel civilian administration, complete with a judiciary, public prosecution, and a police force renamed the “Federal Police.” Sudanese police officers remaining in the state have been urged to join the RSF-controlled force.