Residents in Sudan’s River Nile state blocked a major national highway on Sunday in protest against the growing presence of SAF-aligned armed groups in the gold-rich Al-Obeidiya area.
Dozens of residents closed the highway through Al-Obeidiya, in Berber locality, demanding that armed forces be removed from civilian areas, according to Sudanese media reports.
While an initial report by Al-Rakoba referred only to “militias”, another account of the same protest identified the force at the centre of residents’ complaints as the Joint Force of Armed Struggle Movements.
The Joint Force is an alliance of Darfur armed movements that fights alongside the Sudanese Armed Forces against the Rapid Support Forces. Its main components include the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Minnawi and the Justice and Equality Movement headed by Gibril Ibrahim.
Residents and local activists called for the Joint Force to withdraw from civilian areas and urged people to gather near the entrance to Al-Obeidiya’s milling and mining district.
The protests follow allegations of killings, looting and theft involving armed personnel operating in and around Al-Obeidiya, an important centre for Sudan’s gold industry.
Tensions involving the Joint Force have surfaced in the area before. Local reports have documented confrontations between its personnel and SAF-backed civilian mobilization fighters, known as mustanfareen, as well as disputes with local officials over military vehicles and activity around mining sites.
Residents have increasingly complained that the proliferation of armed groups inside civilian communities has contributed to insecurity and abuses without adequate accountability.
The Joint Force is firmly aligned with SAF in Sudan’s war. It abandoned its earlier neutrality and joined fighting against the RSF, while its leadership has said its military deployments are coordinated with the army’s general command.
There was no indication in reports on Sunday’s Al-Obeidiya protest that RSF forces were involved in the armed presence targeted by demonstrators.
