“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Al-Haqiqa Magazine
The first specialized electronic periodical magazine dedicated to monitoring and documenting the violations of the rebellious Rapid Support Forces – Published in three languages.
Black Record of Militia No.3
Detainee’s Name: Dr. Rashid Mohammed Ibrahim, researcher and academic in several Sudanese universities.
In the name of Allah, we begin the story of the arrest.
“1”
I was arrested in the seventh month by a force affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces. I woke up early in the morning to the sound of banging and breaking in the building where I lived, which was in a residential area. When I looked from above, I saw a vehicle with a mounted machine gun and four individuals. Outside, three people were attempting to break the door with rifles. They decided to break the first floor and search it for a car. After finishing the first floor, they went to the second. Anticipating their arrival at the third, I first disposed of my phone to protect myself and my belongings. They claimed to have received information, searched the house, scattered its contents, and started eating the food. I told them I was a university professor, showed them my ID, and took them to my library. They searched through my certificates and threatened me, claimed that I am a military officer with high rank.
It seemed they wanted to distract me for a robbery since there were laptops. They tied my hands, threatened me, and fired shots under my legs. When they realized I was steadfast, they offered me to work with them, asking for information about houses with cars. I realized they were thieves, and they took me to a car blindfolded, insisting, “This guy is one of us,” pointing to a building labeled ‘Bedroom,’ which was in an unfinished building.
“2”
One of their leaders, called “Omar,” decided to take me to the “Guantanamo” camp located in Riyadh, east of the Criminal Evidence headquarters. They stole my small phone, took some money, and placed us in the “Bedroom” under very poor conditions without ventilation. Many injured detainees were there, and their main focus was on military detainees. It was clear they had problems managing the prison, which lacked basic facilities. There was only one toilet for 700 people. Our experience reflects the true face of the Rapid Support Forces, which boasted about human rights and citizen dignity. Many citizens were arrested from markets and bakeries, and most soldiers were retirees, mistreated due to their age. A large number of retirees were brought with guidance from traitors within neighborhoods. There were also officers from the police and intelligence, all brought based on guidance. Many citizens were brought, and there were even children aged fourteen and fifteen.“
“3”
The food consists of two meals, and in strange ironies, whenever the armed forces achieved victories, they would beat the detainees, especially the soldiers. When they attempted to enter the armored vehicles and failed, displaying their captives and wounded, they brought sticks and whips and beat the detainees. I suffered a rib fracture and might need surgery. They use offensive language, racist and derogatory remarks, as if this prison has no management or accountability. It’s also noticeable that interrogations with detainees are prolonged; I was interrogated for a whole month after the arrest. They brought me to the investigator in a brutal manner, and most investigators were police informants. Sometimes they release some captives without interrogating them, indicating a lack of a consistent approach in dealing with captives. There was a person named Al-Fadil at the reception of the “Bedroom” who caused harm and beat the detainees and soldiers.
“4”
Most of the soldiers, when they reach the age of twenty or thirty, are transferred to Soba. Al-Fadil, who worked in the Operations Department of the General Intelligence Service, was responsible for receiving military detainees, registering their deposits, and weapons. He has connections with soldiers in the police, intelligence, or army and is from the Bani Halba tribe, working at Nyala Airport. He has influence inside the prison and insists on not releasing detainees, even with permission from the prison director, Major General Eisa Bushara.
“5”
The services are extremely poor; drinking water comes from Mayo suburb, and it’s unhealthy water. There is no water for ablution; I performed ablution after “77” days. There is no nighttime illumination, and the health situation is deteriorating. Some detained doctors were forced to treat patients. One doctor named “Ali” was taken to the medical unit, where he performed surgeries on the wounded and injured, both inside and sometimes outside the prison, treating Rapid Support Forces’ injuries.
Another doctor, “Ahmed Khaled,” was detained for seventy days and reportedly escaped in September. He was allegedly smuggled out by kitchen staff, indicating assistance in evading the Rapid Support Forces, possibly due to salary issues. There was also a dentist and a prosthetist inside the medical unit, and detainees were even beaten inside the treatment unit by Rapid Support Forces, leading to fatalities.
There was a detainee brought from Kauda named “Mohammed Abdullah Ser al-Khatim.” He was brutally beaten, losing control of his bladder and bowels. They damaged some of his internal organs, and he died in the medical unit. Most detainees who passed away in the prison were buried in a mass grave near Kenana, southeast Kenana.
The martyr Mohammed Abdullah Ser al-Khatim was said to be affiliated with the army intelligence. It’s worth noting he remained patient and used to say to his friends, “Tell me when; when will the army come?” These were words that moved us.
The investigators were more professional than the Rapid Support Forces who carry whips. They always instructed for celebrations except for medical reports, the elderly, or the sick. Some notable investigators were “Abu Shiba,” investigator named “Omar,” and another named “Hamdan,” most of whom were from the Bani Halba and Habbaniya tribes.
There were foreigners, nine Egyptians from the Shajara area. Since the early days, they were treated harshly. In August or September, one of the Egyptians named “Majid” suffered internal bleeding inside the prison, and some workers (porters) also got injured from the same beating. There were also Yemenis, “Sheikh Mohammed” and another named “Yasser,” arrested near Ali Abdul Latif Street, close to the former American embassy.
“6”
They treated Egyptians and Yemenis harshly but were lenient with Ethiopians. They claim that Egyptians support Al-Burhan, saying Sisi supports Al-Burhan with jet fighters, and they insist that war is imminent. It’s clear they have a strong desire to stop the war.
Interestingly, there is an Egyptian named Mustafa, a well-known mechanic often used by General Eisa Bushara, the intelligence director, to repair his private vehicles (Land Cruiser) and stolen vehicles. They exploit mechanics for looting and theft extensively.
Detainees, both civilians and porters, are used to transport weapons. One of them told me they took them to the Bara road, transporting weapons, and our vehicle broke down, exposing us to aerial bombardment.
One of their crimes involved detainees, citizens present in their warehouses, dying during the beating of their warehouses in Khartoum “2.” They couldn’t get them out, including South Sudan citizens who trusted their fellow South Sudan citizens.
“7”
It is deeply disturbing that drug dealers are arrested, and drugs like “Ice” and “Bang” are confiscated. Traders are released in exchange for a sum of money. Some individuals with quantities of gold were reportedly extorted, leading to gold confiscation. In the absence of the law, confiscations favor the militia.
Counterfeit currency machines were found, and fake currency circulated within the prison. The Janjaweed monopolize the sale of cigarettes, tobacco, and some drugs at high prices. Some Rapid Support Forces personnel engage in drug use within the prison due to the lack of officers monitoring behavior.
Citizens are recruited and coerced through intimidation. Detainees are seen carrying weapons outside the prison, although the timing and method of their training are unclear. Some detainees serve as informants, taking other detainees to their homes to extort money and vehicles.
There are also issues with rationed supplies; for example, Osama Daoud’s milk was sold, and similar problems occurred with edible oils. A significant incident took place when quantities of dates were seized from a merchant, leading to a brawl until the leadership intervened.
“8”
Members of the Rapid Support Forces, referred to as the “readiness,” were brought into the prison from the Chinese farm. When asked why they came, they mentioned inquiring about those trained by the army or intelligence, being screened, and then brought to the prison. For the first time, I witnessed a leader carrying a whip, enforcing discipline with physical punishment for disobedience.
One of the severe violations in Guantanamo prison involves the arrest of elderly and disabled individuals. Some have been detained since the Nimeiri era. For example, an elderly person from Omdurman arrived from “Umm Marhi,” lost control of urination, and sometimes we had to wash him.
One person, aged over eighty, told me they came to take his son, and when he refused, they took him instead. Many similar cases of violations exist. Another person accused of loyalty to the army was tortured, had part of his ear cut off, and lost his sanity. When asked by fellow detainees, “Where’s the second ear?” he would reply, “It’s in heaven.”
“9”
Some strange scenes involve the arrest and imprisonment of people with special needs and the mentally ill, placed in corridors to relieve themselves in trenches.
Exploitation and release of children around the age of fifteen have been reported. Sudan has witnessed many wars, but there were values and ethics in the past. This war has stripped away those values and ethics, revealing a stark departure from Sudanese culture.
Thank you,
Dr. El Rasheed Mohammed Ibrahim,
Professor of Political Science at Sudanese universities.
Arrest Date: July 5, 2023
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