EL OBEID – The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) detained more than 10 young men and seized a Starlink internet device during a raid on Um Al-Badri, north of Al-Nuhud in West Kordofan, a local emergency group said.
The Dar Hamar Emergency Room said the RSF stormed the area on Saturday, August 22, and arrested the young men while they were at a location used to provide internet access through Starlink.
According to the group, RSF fighters confiscated the Starlink device serving the area and imposed a fine of 5 million Sudanese pounds on its owner.
The emergency room condemned what it described as criminal behavior against civilians and their means of communication with the outside world. It called on human rights and humanitarian organizations to document the incident and press for the release of those detained.
Sudan Now could not independently verify the number of detainees or the circumstances of the raid. The RSF did not immediately comment.
The incident comes amid repeated local reports of abuses attributed to RSF forces in parts of West Kordofan, including arrests, looting, property seizures, movement restrictions and attacks on civilians.
West Kordofan has become increasingly vulnerable as fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF spreads across Kordofan, disrupting roads, trade routes and local services. Civilians in towns and rural areas have faced growing insecurity, limited access to markets and worsening shortages of food, medicine and basic supplies.
Internet access has become a critical lifeline for communities affected by Sudan’s war, especially in areas where telecommunications networks have been disrupted or where residents rely on satellite devices to contact relatives, obtain information, receive transfers and report abuses.
Local groups say the seizure of communication equipment further isolates civilians and makes it harder for communities to alert aid groups, rights monitors and relatives about arrests, displacement and other emergencies.
The reported raid also comes as humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate in West Kordofan, where displacement, insecurity and the weakening of civilian institutions have left many families struggling to access food, health care and shelter.
