Wad Madani – “Al-Quds Al-Arabi”: The city of Wad Madani, capital of Gezira State in central Sudan, is witnessing continuous convoys of voluntary return of its residents after the Sudanese army managed to recapture it from the grip of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) about a month ago, amid challenges of providing basic services and removing the effects of destruction left by the battles.
According to observations by Al-Quds Al-Arabi’s correspondent who visited the city, the effects of war and destruction are visible on buildings and roads. However, people have begun returning to their homes and resuming their activities, and life is moving towards normalcy after the removal of security threats and the intensive deployment of the army and security agencies.
The correspondent explained that markets have reopened, as well as hospitals and government facilities, while the city is witnessing extensive cleaning operations of debris and destruction left by the war. He noted that the most prominent problem people suffer from is the power outage, which has plunged the city into eerie darkness at night, reducing people’s movement.
He pointed out that looted and destroyed cars are scattered inside the city streets and in agricultural lands. There are also limited markets for stolen goods from citizens’ homes. He confirmed that security agencies sometimes raid some neighborhoods and peripheral villages to arrest collaborators and thieves. He said he obtained information confirming the detention of hundreds in the city prison from RSF elements and their collaborators.
The RSF had imposed control over Wad Madani after a sudden withdrawal by the army on December 18, 2023. According to testimonies from human rights organizations and resistance committees, the city’s residents were subjected to widespread abuse and violations that forced most of them to flee and be displaced towards safe areas inside and outside the country.
Mutawakil Al-Nour (46 years old) said they returned to Wad Madani after a difficult displacement journey and that they are able to overcome all challenges after the exit of the RSF. He pointed out that their houses were looted, and they face real difficulties in retrieving some of the looted items they found in police stations due to bribes and complicated procedures.
Some citizens who insisted on staying in the city during its fall under the RSF’s control retain lengthy stories about the tragedies and live observations of the battles that recently took place there and ended with its recapture by the Sudanese army.
Ayman Mansour (34 years old), who works as a barber, said: “The days of the Janjaweed were difficult. Last Ramadan, they forced us to break our fast and not to fast after flogging and reprimanding. The looting never stopped. Once, RSF soldiers arrested me for carrying a bag of vegetables and accused me of belonging to military intelligence. They beat me and detained me for days before releasing me.”
He continued: “Today, the situation is a hundred times better than it was before. People have started to return, markets and hospitals have opened. A person can move freely until late at night, which was impossible months ago.”
