KHARTOUM, 11 Dec. - (ANA) - The Sudan Doctors' Network has accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rebel militia, which have been fighting the Sudanese army since April 2023, of holding more than 19,000 people in detention in inhumane conditions.

 

The detainees are being held mainly in the Dagreiss and Kober prisons in South Darfur State. The network said that dozens of people had died from deteriorating health conditions inside the prisons, adding that there were at least four deaths a week.

 

It also said that infectious diseases had spread due to overcrowding, poor hygiene, and the absence of medical treatment and isolation.

 

Detainees have been dying of cholera due to the lack of medical care, and there were shortages of medicines, drinking water, and adequate food.

 

In the first few months of the war, the RSF took control of most of the Darfur region. In October it seized control of El Fasher, the largest city in the region, after a siege lasting more than 500 days.

 

There were widespread atrocities and tens of thousands of people were reported killed. The UAE has been accused of backing the RSF but has denied this.

 

The Sudan Doctors’ Network said that the RSF have also carried out widespread detention campaigns in Darfur. These campaigns targeted civilian professionals and political activists. The RSF are also holding prisoners of war in the detention centres.

 

 

 

 

It added that there were no humanitarian and legal standards in areas under RSF control, with detainees being deprived of their basic rights.

 

The network said that more than 19,000 people are being held in Dagreiss and Kober prisons as well as several other RSF-run detention centers in Darfur.

 

These include 4,270 prisoners from the Unified Police, 544 from the Security Service, 3,795 from the Armed Forces, and 5,000 detainees from the city of El Fasher, in addition to groups from army-aligned forces, although some of the data is imprecise.

 

The network added that 5,434 detainees from various civilian professions, as well as politicians and media workers, have been documented. Most of them were arrested in Khartoum and Darfur and they include 73 medical staff members. The RSF were driven out of areas they once held in Khartoum in March 2025.

 

The Sudan Doctors’ Network said that the deteriorating health environment inside the prisons and the spread of infectious diseases had led to a sharp rise in deaths, with more than four deaths recorded weekly due to medical neglect, the absence of qualified staff, and the lack of first aid or ability to transfer critical cases to hospitals.

 

The network called on the United Nations and international organizations to pressure RSF leaders to release civilian detainees, provide necessary care and allow families to learn the fate of their relatives.

 

It also called for an end to arbitrary arrests of civilians and for improvements to prison health conditions, as well as the release of detainees who had not been charged.

 

 

 

 

Also on Wednesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists expressed deep concern over reports that the health condition of Sudanese journalist Muammar Ibrahim, who is being held by the RSF, has seriously deteriorated during his detention.

 

The committee’s Middle East and North Africa Regional Director, Sarah al-Qaddah, said that Muammar has become bedridden and is suffering from severe pain while the RSF refuses to transfer him to a hospital or release him. She added: “The Committee to Protect Journalists urgently calls for his immediate release so he can receive necessary care.”

 

The RSF detained Ibrahim in El Fasher after seizing the city and transferred him to Nyala in South Darfur State. It announced that he was being investigated for “damaging its reputation”. On November 3, it published a video showing RSF spokesman Fateh Qurshi and another individual questioning Muammar and directing numerous accusations at him.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/11 December 2025 - - -