Kutum, September 13 (Darfur24)
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have released Asma and Ikram Mohamed Khater, sisters of journalist Zamzam Khater, after detaining them for about five months on allegations of possessing weapons and spying for the joint forces, according to a relative who spoke to Darfur24.
The relative said the RSF arrested the two sisters in Kutum in April and later transferred them to detention centers in Nyala. No further details were provided about their release.
In April, the RSF released a video, verified by Darfur24, acknowledging the arrest of Asma Khater and her nephew, Muammar Ahmed Taqal. The force accused them of possessing military equipment and communicating with hostile entities in Port Sudan, according to Major Ibrahim Othman, who appeared in the video.
Othman said the force had moved from El Fasher based on instructions to monitor and raid the house. He also said the RSF does not arrest civilians in a humiliating or illegal manner.
Kutum, northwest of El Fasher, witnessed a widespread arrest campaign against civilians and military personnel that month following a drone strike, believed to have been carried out by the Sudanese army, that targeted a wedding in the city’s Al Salam neighborhood.
Last week, the RSF also released several female journalists and activists after detaining them for more than six months over their participation in a women’s rights workshop held in Nyala, South Darfur, in February.