Sudan’s Breadbasket Threatened by Paramilitary Forces
In a chilling display of power, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) descended on Sudan’s central Al Jazira state in mid-December. With a stark ultimatum of “Enlist or die,” the paramilitary group has resorted to using food as a weapon, withholding supplies from the starving to force men and boys into joining their ranks, as reported by over three dozen witnesses.
Amid a brutal civil war between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since last April, both sides have been accused of atrocities against civilians. A CNN investigation revealed that nearly 700 men and 65 children were forcibly recruited by the RSF in Jazira state over the past three months alone.
The RSF’s campaign, unfolding in Sudan’s agricultural heartland during peak cultivation and harvest seasons, has exacerbated food insecurity in a country teetering on the brink of famine. Eyewitnesses have detailed coercive tactics used by the RSF, including torture, intimidation, summary executions, and the denial of food and medical aid.
With the RSF controlling food supplies and engaging in violent coercion, fears of impending famine are escalating. The UN has warned of a deteriorating food security situation affecting millions of people across Sudan, South Sudan, and Chad.
The RSF’s systematic destruction of agrarian infrastructure, looting of warehouses and aid hubs, and recruitment of child soldiers have left Sudan’s agricultural future in peril. As food shortages worsen, the RSF’s actions are pushing the country towards a catastrophic hunger crisis.
Experts and witnesses alike warn that the RSF’s tactics are reminiscent of past atrocities in Darfur and are fueling a cycle of violence and suffering. As Sudan faces its worst hunger levels on record, urgent international intervention is needed to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.
