The Kanaabi Conference, a network representing labour-camp communities across Sudan’s Gezira scheme, has called for an urgent international investigation into the 9 December 2024 attack that left Village 34-al-Faw in ruins.
What happened
- Date & place: 9 December 2024, Village 34-al-Faw, Um El-Qura locality, Gezira State
- Attackers: Armed militiamen and “popular mobilisation” volunteers led by the Sudan Shield Forces under a commander known as Kikel, according to multiple eyewitnesses.
- Trigger: The raid followed General al-Burhan’s forces’ (SAF) entry into Gezira and the withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces.
Reported impact (Kanaabi field report)
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Homes burned | 580 houses in the south-west quarter — an area inhabited mainly by families with Darfur and Kordofan roots |
| Livestock looted | 250 cattle, 300 goats, 45 sheep |
| Crops | Stored harvest stolen or burned; farms destroyed at peak harvest time |
| Cash & gold | 51 billion Sudanese pounds and 200 kg of gold reported missing from households |
| Vehicles | Two pickup trucks seized, a flat-bed truck taken, a three-wheeler (tuk-tuk) torched |
Witnesses say the assault was coordinated by local leaders Abdel-Qader “Abu Slafa” Mohamed Ibrahim (village chief and Sudan Shield field coordinator) and Hamed el-Zubeir (secretary-general of surrounding villages). Donations of fuel and ammunition allegedly flowed in from neighbouring settlements, including Shabaqra, Babnusa, and riverbank hamlets.
Kanaabi Conference demands
- Independent international inquiry into what it calls “a crime against humanity carried out on ethnic grounds.”
- Immediate civilian protection in vulnerable Gezira villages.
- Full compensation for material and psychological losses.
- Rapid humanitarian aid and reconstruction funds.
- Security guarantees to prevent repeat attacks.
The movement warns that without outside intervention, displaced residents remain exposed to further raids and starvation. International rights groups have yet to comment.
What is Sudan Shield?
The Sudan Shield Forces (Dirʿ al-Sudān) is a 2023-era, SAF-aligned militia fronting as “village self-defence.” In reality it functions as SAF’s deniable shock-troop, staffed by Islamist cadres and riverain Arab recruits who answer to commanders like Abdel-Bagi “Kaykel” Ahmed.
Rights monitors say Sudan Shield units routinely torch homes and loot communities branded “pro-RSF” or “Darfuri,” acting with impunity thanks to SAF intelligence handlers and remnants of Bashir’s old National Congress Party machine.
