Nyala, February 09 (Darfur24)
Rapid Support Forces personnel detained 16 residents from the town of Muhajiriya in East Darfur State during a market raid earlier this month, according to residents and sources, who said the detainees were later transferred to Nyala.
A local source told Darfur24 that RSF personnel carried out a large-scale arrest operation in the town’s market on January 21. Those detained included Mayor Omar Adibo, head of the rural court, and another resident identified as Ahmed Jadu. The detainees were later transferred to Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State.
The source added that delegations from Muhajiriya traveled to Nyala in an effort to secure the detainees’ release.
In a related development, a relative of Ahmed Jadu said he had been living in South Sudan since the outbreak of the war, working in a trade locally known as “duror,” and had recently returned to the area. The relative told Darfur24 that RSF forces detained him along with others in the market and initially took them to an unknown location before his presence in Nyala was later confirmed.
The RSF has previously conducted similar arrest campaigns in parts of South and East Darfur, with detainees transferred to holding facilities in Nyala, according to local sources.