In September 2024, The RSF militia looted The Sudanese National Museum which contains invaluable historical statues and archetypical collections, shortly thereafter, the stolen assets were smuggled outside the country and are now on sale on the Internet This incidence, however, is not isolated, over more than one year, the militia has engaged in systemic looting of personal and government assets and on different scales and sizes. 

The war broke out in Sudan in April 2023 between the rapid support forces and the Sudanese national army. Thousands were killed and about 10 million were displaced, in addition to the massive destruction of infrastructure and buildings, many fearing the country might enter into a full-fledged war. 

For the militia to wage such a large-scale war and to exist and remain powerful, it has been relying on a strong political economy from different sources, such as exporting smuggled Sudanese gold and gum Arabic to other countries and the funding and logistic support it received from the EU, which aims to control immigration. The militia has also been obtaining generous direct financial and military support from the UAE, in addition to benefiting from fighting in the Yemen war. 

Most recently, along with the expansion of the ongoing battles across the country, looting has become a salient funding source for the militia, which depends on it to sustain itself and attract new members.  

The RSF emerged primarily from restructuring the notorious Janjaweed militia in 2013, aiming to support the central government’s counterinsurgency operations in Darfur and South Kordofan. In 2017, the Sudanese parliament passed a law legitimizing its activities, for years, engaged in countless crimes and atrocities, including destroying villages, killing protestors,  sexual violations and rape, mass killings, and unlawful detention, in addition to targeting hospitals and churches and attacking journalists and media institutions in addition to killing based on ethnicity and recruiting children as soldiers during the ongoing war. 

In the immediate aftermath of starting the war in Khartoum,  the miltia started seizing its control of many areas in the city. Its fighters began raiding and looting houses after evicting its residents. The militia members specifically targeted cars that could be used in battles. In other parts of the country, such as in Wad Medani, civilians were threatened with sexual assault if they refused to cooperate and give their gold, cash, and cars. 

The miltia members also targeted banks, factories, and public buildings and were not exempted from the looting operations; reports revealed how the militia looted the market and government building; its soldiers shared videos boasting about capturing large amounts of money stolen from local banks. In Bara, west of Sudan, the militia also looted banks and public buildings. The miltia members also stormed Sugar factories in Sennar and Algunaif cities and stole items such as furniture, chemical additives, and empty bags. Disturbingly, The looting extended to the UN World Food Program warehouses that secure the life-saving supply for many, including children and pregnant women. For instance, the miltia members stormed and looted Al-Jazirah University in addition to the professor’s homes.  

The militia’s looting operation included personal cars and vehicles that were diverted to areas controlled by the miltia in Darfur or sold in Chad. In some other cases, the stolen cars were directed to back up military operations; for instance, since the start of the war, the militia has stolen hundreds of cars, which were, in many cases, repurposed to be utilized in the ongoing battles.  

In violation and disrespect to all international laws and rules that protect diplomatic missions during wars, the militia occupied and looted the Dutch embassy building in Khartoum as reported by the official page of the embassy. 

Regrettably, Humanitarian support has been repeatedly plundered in  RSF-controlled areas such as Darfur, for instance, humanitarian aid which was meant to save the lives in refugee camps, did not reach those who were in dire need of it and was looted by the militia members. Medical supplies are also taken hold by the militia costing the lives of many. Moreover, The militia also stole the UN fuel from humanitarian trucks. Worsening the situation for stranded civilians, food pantries that provide free meals were also subjected to looting by the militia’s members. 

Reportedly, the militia members confiscated tractors and equipment in addition to agricultural seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides from villages and storage facilities in dinner southeast Sudan putting the whole upcoming harvest season at risk and speeding up the looming famine crisis. A recent independent report exposed that the militia looted 60% of livestock in Al-jazeera state. 

As the scale of looting increased, a small economy was created around these looting operations. The looted assets are being sold across the country in Dagalo markets, named after the militia leader, where the smugglers transfer the stolen goods to the market traders. Looting even became the main reason that motivated civilians to join the RSF miltia 

Considering the history of the miltia, these events are not new or isolated and are central to the formation of the miltia itself and consistent with its behavior over the extended years, for instance, previous reports show how looting markets and villages in Darfur was a common practice by the militiamen. 

Recent reports revealed that the miltia threatened residents never to return after they ransacked their homes; the direct consequence of all this mayhem is that tens of thousands were forced to leave to escape this hell. Unfortunately, in some cases, many were killed by the militia members after they refused to surrender their belongings and assets. 

In response to the massive outcry and ordinary people sharing their horror stories with the militia members stealing their assets, the militia issued a statement claiming it established a specialized task force to protect citizens. In addition to that, The militia advisor also categorically denied all these violations, these measures were meant to propagate the world and clear the image of the militia and not to address the root causes of the problem. Disturbingly, In a step that exposed its lack of interest in protecting citizens, the militia started offering youth to join its ranks in exchange for the protection of their villages.

To defend themselves against all these violations, it’s reasonable that the Sudanese people started to rush for arms in states that the militia had not yet reached. This strategy, hitherto, deterred the militia from attacking new cities and expanding its looting operations. Still, it’s not guaranteed that the militia members could recklessly decide to storm these areas in the foreseeable future.  

 In parallel with the ongoing peace talks in Geneva, the RSF leader announced, once again, the establishment of a special force that’s tasked with protecting citizens and properties, a move that shows the failure of the ground and another PR campaign to conceal the militia’s crimes and the pain it inflicts on people.

Despite the damage it causes to the militia’s reputation, the continuation of looting reveals the lack of complete control for the miltia over its soldiers. Moreover, the militia’s relentless effort to expand forever and recruit more soldiers is accompanied by a high price the Sudanese people will keep paying, exposing the falseness of any claims the militia is making that it will bring peace and democracy to the country.  

When looting becomes a daily activity for the RSF militia soldiers to survive, any plan to dismantle the militia and integrate its members into the national army is doomed to be complicated; those soldiers are now accustomed to a life of easy gains and operate with no respect to the rule of law and civilian life, In such grim scenario., those soldiers will most likely seek to form small gangs and military groups that carry on their criminal activities, posing a threat to society for many years to come. 

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