Al-Radoum, January 10 (Darfur24)
Traders and multiple sources from the town of Singo, south of Nyala in South Darfur State, reported that authorities affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have imposed compulsory fees on market shops under the pretext of legalising commercial activity.
Singo market, the largest artisanal mining market in Darfur, is located in Al-Radoum locality near the borders with South Sudan and the Central African Republic.
Traders told Darfur24 that the head of the civil administration, Youssef Idris Youssef, visited Singo in December and ordered administrative fees of 220,000 Sudanese pounds per shop, described as lease renewal charges.
According to Mohamed Saleh, a trader and the locality’s executive director, in coordination with the Chamber of Commerce, the fees have begun to be collected by force. He added that some prime shop locations have been reassigned to other traders, while pressure has been exerted on merchants who objected.
Another trader said local authorities, accompanied by an RSF unit, the Federal Police, and Chamber of Commerce representatives, conducted an inventory of more than 2,000 shops and are planning additional new market stalls.
Sources described the imposed fees as illegal and not based on any legislative or sovereign authority, noting that receipts issued to traders do not constitute official legal clearance.
Meanwhile, a market source said Singo’s weekly Friday market attracts thousands of miners, traders, and residents from surrounding villages, yet authorities provide no basic services, including sanitation, waste collection, mosques, or access to clean drinking water.
“Residents are forced to rely on contaminated water due to the high cost of bottled water,” the source said. “Despite collecting mandatory fees, no services are delivered to traders or citizens inside the market.”