Local sources in Um Dafuq, South Darfur, said on Sunday that Russian forces operating in the Central African Republic (CAR) have recruited hundreds of men from the Sara tribes along the border with Sudan to carry out security tasks in the area.
The sources told Darfur24 that the locally recruited force has been targeting Sudanese pastoralists, detaining them on accusations of affiliation with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The detainees are reportedly released only after paying sums of money, a practice the sources said has fueled security tensions in the border zone.
One herder, Mohamed al-Tijani, told Darfur24 that the recruits prevent Sudanese herders from grazing and demand payments in exchange for allowing them to move and work. He warned the situation could spark violence between pastoralists and local communities in an area already described as fragile and insecure.
Al-Tijani said Sudanese traditional authorities in Um Dafuq locality have notified local authorities in the CAR’s Um Dafuq area about the alleged violations and are awaiting a response, warning that the abuses could reignite tribal violence along the border strip between the two countries.
The report also cited a separate incident last month, saying a Russian patrol in CAR carried out an armed attack on a weekly market in the border town of Kabo, killing 12 Sudanese and wounding five others, and later closed a key road linking Um Dukhun in Central Darfur with CAR.
According to the sources, Russian Wagner-linked forces deployed around gold mining areas inside CAR have stepped up border patrols and carried out violent raids on gatherings of Sudanese nomads inside CAR, leading to the deaths of dozens of Sudanese.
