Saniyat Daliba: Gambling dispute claims 17 lives
SOUTH DARFUR- On Saturday, June 14, armed clashes erupted between fighters from the Rizayqat and Tarjam tribes over a gambling dispute in Saniyat Daliba, south of Nyala in As-Salam ‘Abu Ajurah’ County, South Darfur State. Seventeen people were killed and several others injured.
Local sources in Nyala told Atar a group of Rizayqat tribesmen from Umm Duwanban in South Darfur arrived at the Saniyat Daliba market and joined members of the Tarjam tribe in a gambling game.
When the Tarjam won the final round, securing two vehicles, a motorcycle and a camel, the Rizayqat contingent demanded a rematch, which the victors refused. The market quickly became a battlefield, and stray bullets struck bystanders.
Seventeen people died, and others sustained injuries of varying severity. More than seven were transported to Nyala for treatment amid a severe shortage of medicines and adequate care in the city’s health sector.
In the aftermath, Tarjam players seized the two vehicles, the motorcycle and weapons, after their owners fled toward villages affiliated with Umm Duwanban.
In the charged atmosphere tinged with anger and a thirst for vengeance, a delegation of tribal leaders, local administrators and notables from the three Balabl regions: Bulbul Tambsko, Bulubl Abu Jazu and Bulubl Dalal Anqar, led by Tarjam Chief Muhammad Yaqoub Ibrahim came to Saniyat Daliba and brokered a preliminary peace agreement in an effort to contain the escalating conflict.
South Darfur State, under the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) control since late October 2023, has recently witnessed an uptick in insecurity and a surge in tribal clashes, claiming dozens of innocent lives.
South Nyala localities have seen sporadic fighting and rights abuses.
On May 14, AlHadi Idris Yousif, the deputy chief of the Falata tribe, was killed in clashes involving RSF personnel at the Tulus town market, approximately 80 kilometres southeast of Nyala.
Additionally, Querida County, located 86 kilometres south of Nyala, has suffered a spate of abuses, particularly looting, torture and theft, and armed assaults with knives and machetes, some stemming from disputes over relationships with women.
Ad Da’in: RSF goes into arresting spree of own members, civilians as internal divisions escalate
EAST DARFUR- On Monday, June 16, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a sweeping arrest campaign in Ad-Deain, the capital of East Darfur State, rounding up dozens of their own fighters alongside civilians and former Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers.
Local sources in Ad-Deain told Atar that an RSF detachment arrived from Nyala with a list of wanted individuals to be transferred to detention centres there.
Those arrested since June 7, the second day of Eid al‑Adha, include the RSF’s deputy intelligence chief and his entire office staff, numerous officers accused of secretly liaising with the army, and primarily young civilians, some exhibiting mental health disorders and wandering the streets. The mentally disoriented youth were accused of monitoring RSF movements for the SAF.
The operation also targeted employees of the RSF’s civil administration, including members affiliated with the Islamic Movement and the dissolved National Congress Party.
The state civil‑administration head was interrogated on corruption allegations over misappropriation of funds, sparking internal debates on whether to remove him from office or proceed with caution.
Sources confirmed most arrests occurred in the Airport, Ash-Shahinat and Qubba neighbourhoods in southern and western Ad-Deain. Detainees face charges of ongoing loyalty to the SAF, espionage, leaking sensitive field intelligence on RSF plans and movements, and opposing the “Tasis” alliance on social media.
These crackdowns follow last month’s speech in Nyala by RSF deputy commander Abdel‑Rahim Dagalo, who ordered arrests of anyone, even retirees and former SAF or security personnel in RSF‑held areas, suspected of ties to Port Sudan’s government, branding them as “remnants” or SAF collaborators.
The move come hot on the heels of weakening of the RSF’s field leadership and its inability to manage internal rifts, opening the door to greater chaos within its ranks, especially in its principal strongholds of South and East Darfur.
In recent weeks, both states have seen unprecedented insecurity, with looting, threats, abductions and arrests becoming part of daily life amid deep RSF divisions, near‑total leadership absence and suspected SAF infiltration.
Ad-Dekhinat: Sigh of relief as normalcy returns after Army reclaims control
KHARTOUM- For nearly 21 months, Ad-Dekhinat, south of Khartoum, has endured severe turmoil after Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the village, and the nearby Central Reserve Forces headquarters, on June 25, 2023.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied Shield Sudan forces, however, reclaimed the area on March 26.
Located just north of the Central Reserve compound in Jebel Aulia County, Ad-Dekhinat saw countless families flee by small boats across the White Nile toward Salihah and West As-Sulamaniya, often paying exorbitant fees despite lacking basic provisions.
Once the fighting subsided and the RSF solidified control, residents returned home, only to face fresh miseries.
Locals report mass arrests of anyone labeled “remnants,” regardless of age. Homes were ransacked, occupants beaten and humiliated. Every morning, when RSF patrols began, troops preyed on those venturing out early to buy necessities, robbing them at gunpoint.
“One could not even trust them around women,” a resident recalls. “They showed no respect for our conservative customs. Veiled women were accused of espionage, dragged into markets and forced to unveil.”
During RSF rule, fighters monopolized staple goods, driving prices sky-high. A measure of corn that once filled a large sack cost the same as the sack itself.
After the SAF’s return, market prices stabilized and supplies reappeared.
“A kilogramme of wheat flour sold for between 7,000 and 8,000 SDG under RSF rule,” a villager told an Atar. “Now it is down to between 2,000 and 2,800 SDG. Sugar, once 10,000 SDG per kilo, now ranges from 2,500 to 3,000 SDG.”
Private schools reopened, inviting families to register students for catch up sessions ahead of formal classes expected in the coming weeks.
When the RSF attacked al Jumumiyya villages south of Omdurman, Ad-Dekhinat hosted many displaced families from West As-Sulamaniya. After the SAF declared full control of Khartoum, these households began returning home.
Residents remain wary after dengue fever, malaria and cholera outbreaks during RSF occupation claimed two lives among the displaced. Now, they boil and store water, wash produce thoroughly and rely on revived health clinics, including the nearby Turkish hospital, which continues treating most cholera cases from Omdurman.
Last week, homes at last glowed at night as electricity returned for more than six hours daily, and villagers reconnected to the public Internet instead of relying on Starlink.
“Even irregular power is a blessing,” one mother said. “I can check on my children abroad after over two years offline, and I can keep food in the fridge again.”
Al-Qadarif: Stability resumes but shortage of water, power and basic commodities persists
AL-QADARIF- Security in Al-Qadarif city has stabilized since government forces liberated Al-Jazirah, Sennar and Khartoum.
Checkpoints on main roads, at the central market and in several districts have declined, and army-linked brigades have cut back raids.
Despite these gains, many cannot resume prewar jobs or relocate. Daily market workers face extortion, and prices have soared amid income loss.
Teachers receive just 60 per cent of their salaries, and cash shortages hamper trade. Although some vendors accept the ‘Bankak’ app, weak connectivity and functionality limit its use; brokers charge a 10–30 per cent fee for cash exchanges, and many rely on shopkeepers.
Most goods arrive from Port Sudan and Ethiopia via the Galabat crossing, supplemented by relief agencies. A few factories have reopened but produce little.
“Since the war began, we have battled malaria, cholera and dengue. Displacement camps became cholera hotspots. The outbreak has now eased but cases linger at Al-Qadarif’s isolation centre,” a resident told Atar.
The resident added that cash scarcity makes medicine unaffordable and doctor visits difficult, while inspections and taxes delay supplies from Port Sudan and Ethiopia.
Residents worry malaria, dengue and cholera will return with the rains, along with the kala-azar endemic in the state.
“When the SAF retakes an area, they register and bus displaced families back,” said Ammar, a resident. “Yet their home villages still lack basic water and electricity, as Al-Jazirah’s did.”
Some displaced people from Al-Qadarif camps moved to Al-Hawata in Sennar, where schools remain open.
Aid from NGOs and locals has dwindled after more than two years of war and a United States decision last year to cut nonprofit funding.
Power remains unstable, cut six to 12 hours daily with no schedule, worsening a decade long water crisis. A gallon costs between 2,000 and 3,000 SDG and is undrinkable. Vendors lack bank accounts and basic phones.
| Item | Price (SDG) |
|---|---|
| Charcoal sack | 45,000 |
| Gas cylinder | 62,000 |
| 1,000 loaves | 8,000 |
| Onion sack | 50,000 |
| 50kg sugar sack | 120,000 |
| Yogurt (1 pound) | 1,200 |
Sample market prices in Al-Qadarif
Ad-Dalang: SPLA -N artillery shelling hits the town, wounds civilians
SOUTH KORDOFAN- On Saturday, June 20, at approximately 11am, the town of Ad-Dalang in South Kordofan was struck by artillery fire from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLM-N/ Al-Hilu).
The bombardment injured a child and a woman; the latter tripped while fleeing the falling shells and hit the ground. Another projectile slammed into local resident Mohammed Kuwa al-Basha’s home, destroying the structure. Fortunately, his family had evacuated beforehand, and there were no fatalities. The wounded child was immediately transferred to the hospital for treatment.
Shells impacted the western Fresha neighbourhood and the Al-Mack North district, where one round landed in an empty lot without causing injuries. As fire originated from the west, residents of several western districts, including Al-Hila Aj-Jadeeda, Al-Turuq, Kanagra, Al-Marafid and Kignaq, fled northward toward Aqouz, Al-Safaa and Al-Mack.
The SPLA-N artillery units responsible for the shelling are based in Al-Hujirat west of Ad-Dalang and control Al-Kidr northwest of town. Meanwhile, Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) units traded artillery on the city’s outskirts as battles continued in Al-Dushul, At-Taqatu’ and Kiga since June 17.
In a counter offensive, SAF units under the 54th Brigade retook control of Al-Kurgul and Hagar-Jawad south of town, partially reopening the main highway.
The shelling followed weeks of intermittent exchanges, underscoring the region’s volatile security environment and heightening local fears.
Despite the ongoing siege, goods still arrive via alternative routes, chiefly from Al-Obeid along a path that avoids RSF-held Ad-Debibat, and via a supply line from Al-Khiwai maintained by Hamar tribe traders, making three-day journeys on motorcycle taxis.
Life gradually resumed Sunday morning as markets reopened and Starlink service was restored. Yet residents remain anxious amid persistent security threats and the city’s fragile stability.
