Intelligence officers affiliated with the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur have detained several money-transfer agents in Tawila, displaced residents said on Saturday.
The arrests have deepened an acute cash shortage across displacement sites in the North Darfur town, where agents have reportedly been charging commissions of up to 25 percent to exchange bank transfers for cash.
Residents told Darfur24 that several owners of money-transfer agencies and currency-exchange businesses had been detained and remained in the movement’s custody.
The detentions have also prompted other financial agents to scale back or suspend their operations in local markets, further limiting displaced families’ access to cash.
A source at the chamber of commerce operating under Tawila’s civilian administration confirmed that arrests had taken place but described them as precautionary, saying those detained would be released.
The source said the civilian authority was considering imposing a fixed commission on bank transfers across areas controlled by the movement in Tawila and Jebel Marra.
Displaced residents complained last week that steep transaction fees were worsening their hardship amid the cash shortage. Many depend on transfers from relatives and small cash-assistance payments to cover food and other daily necessities.
Tawila is one of Sudan’s largest displacement hubs and currently hosts about 707,000 people, most of whom fled fighting in and around El Fasher.
