A combined contingent of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) factions led by Jibril Ibrahim and Minni Arko Minawi—both openly aligned with General al-Burhan’s army (SAF) against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since late 2023—has triggered a wave of fear after residents reported shootings, robberies and protection rackets in the nation’s two largest cities.
Market traders in Omdurman’s Sabreen bazaar say fighters in the joint force’s uniforms levied “taxes” on every tuk‑tuk and delivery truck this week, while a daylight heist on Al‑Wadi Street saw gunmen seize a jeweller’s gold after riddling his car with bullets. In nearby Sulaimaniya village, witnesses reported the fatal shooting of a civilian on Sunday.
The incidents followed a firefight in Jebel Aulia on Khartoum’s southern edge in which 13 fighters clashed with SAF troops, killing a military‑intelligence captain, a soldier and a woman. Four gunmen were captured, one was killed and six escaped; security agencies have launched a manhunt.
Although formally on the SAF’s side, the joint force has ignored SAF commander Gen. Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan’s month‑old directive ordering all non‑state fighters out of Khartoum and Port Sudan, deepening strains inside the pro‑junta camp. Local activists have begun an online campaign urging the SAF to “rein in its allies” before the capital descends further into lawlessness.
Residents warn that with multiple armed factions now roaming the streets—and no clear chain of command—the extortion and sporadic gunfire risk becoming the new normal, eroding any prospect of stability even within SAF‑held territory.
