The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has launched an offensive against Sudan’s military in Sennar province. They first attacked Jebal Moya village before advancing to the provincial capital, Singa, where fresh clashes erupted. The violence prompted approximately 57,000 people to abandon their homes, according to the United Nations.
Tens of thousands fled as fighters from Sudan’s notorious paramilitary group looted homes, shops, and seized control of the main hospital in a central city, residents reported on Sunday. This marks a new escalation in a 14-month conflict pushing Sudan towards famine.
Residents and a local rights group reported that RSF fighters in pickup trucks mounted with automatic rifles rampaged through Singa over the weekend. They looted houses, shops in the local market, and took over the city’s main hospital.
In a statement on Saturday, the RSF claimed to have captured the military’s main facility, the 17th Infantry Division Headquarters, in Singa. Local media also reported that the RSF breached the military’s defenses.
However, Brigadier Nabil Abdalla, a spokesperson for the Sudanese armed forces, stated that the military had regained control of the facility. As of Sunday morning, fighting was ongoing, but neither claim could be independently verified.
The paramilitary RSF has faced numerous allegations of severe human rights abuses across Sudan since the conflict erupted in April last year. The fighting has resulted in over 14,000 deaths and 33,000 injuries, according to the United Nations, although rights activists believe the actual toll could be much higher.
Experts and rights activists from the Sudan Conflict Monitor warned that the RSF’s seizure of Singa could lead to severe humanitarian consequences, potentially disrupting large-scale agricultural programs in nearby provinces like Blue Nile, White Nile, and Jazira, once Sudan’s agricultural heartland.
The International Organisation for Migration reported on Sunday that the clashes had displaced approximately 55,440 people in Singa and neighbouring villages, with an additional 1,455 people fleeing Jebal Moya.
The situation remains highly volatile and unpredictable, according to their statement.
Residents recounted widespread looting by RSF fighters in Singa, where they seized private vehicles, mobile phones, jewellery, and other valuables. Many residents were reportedly killed, wounded, or detained during the violence.
“They did like what they did in (the capital) Khartoum and other cities,” said Abdel-Rahman al-Taj, a Singa resident who fled Saturday to Blue Nile province. “Many people were killed, wounded or detained.”
The Sennar Observatory for Human Rights, a local rights group, said the RSF attacked Singa Educational Hospital, detaining dozens of patients and medical staff as “human shields.” The fighters turned the hospital into a military centre in a “clear violation of the international human material law.”
A physician at the hospital said RSF fighters, some in vehicles, swarmed the facility’s courtyard and corridors. “The situation is extremely dangerous,” said the physician who spoke on condition of anonymity for his safety. “We are working under gunpoint.”
The RSF did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, the conflict in Sennar unfolds as international attention has been focused on al-Fasher, a major city in Darfur besieged by the RSF for months in an attempt to wrest control from the military. Al-Fasher is the military’s last stronghold in Darfur.
Sudan’s conflict has triggered the world’s largest displacement crisis, displacing over 11 million people. International experts have warned of impending famine, with 755,000 people facing severe food shortages in the coming months and 8.5 million people experiencing extreme food insecurity.
The conflict has been marred by reports of widespread sexual violence and other atrocities, particularly in Darfur, which experienced a genocide in the early 2000s. Rights groups have characterised these acts as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Nancy Mbamalu
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