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July 14, 2024 (AL-DINDER) Al-Dinder Emergency Unit in Sudan’s southeastern Sennar state reported on Sunday that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had seized agricultural equipment, seeds and fertilizers from villages in the area, raising concerns about a possible poor harvest in the upcoming agricultural season.
The Sudanese Rapid Security Forces captured Dinder on July 1, but were driven out by the Sudanese Army. However, the Sudanese Rapid Security Forces quickly recaptured the city on July 5, forcing the Sudanese Army and its allies to retreat to Gedaref State.
In a statement to Sudan Tribune, the chamber accused the RSF of using “intimidation, beatings and killings” to confiscate tractors and equipment from farmers in the Al-Dinder region. An estimated 200 tractors were confiscated and reportedly stored in the villages of Al-Farish and Kamrab, west of Al-Dinder. These villages are mainly inhabited by members of the Rizeigat tribe, from which many of the RSF’s leaders and fighters come.
The group further alleged that the RSF looted the villages and storage facilities for crop seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, jeopardizing the upcoming harvest. They also claimed that Kamrab and Al-Farish had become RSF bases of operations for launching attacks and storing goods stolen from Al-Dinder and its surrounding villages.
Dinder town is home to around 200 villages that rely on livestock, trade and agriculture for their livelihoods. However, many residents have fled violence by the Rapid Support Forces, including killings, looting, sexual violence and forced displacement. Persistent shortages of electricity, water and communications services, coupled with soaring prices of essential goods, have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the area.
On Saturday, emergency departments warned that the death toll among vulnerable groups, including those with chronic diseases, the elderly and children, would rise as hospitals damaged in the conflict and health centres closed.
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