Sudanese media loyal to the SAF junta in Port Sudan have launched a campaign called “Report a Collaborator,” triggering alarm among human rights groups and local media that it could fuel hatred and persecution across the country.
The campaign, described by rights groups as inciting hatred and encouraging unverified accusations, is reportedly being used to settle personal disputes under the pretext of rooting out alleged traitors.
The Emergency Lawyers, a Sudanese human rights group, said in a strongly worded statement that the campaign has become a “tool for persecuting civilians.”
The group accused the General al-Burhan’s SAF, the Security Service, and militias aligned with the Islamic Movement of conducting arbitrary arrest campaigns accompanied by severe abuses. The group called for an immediate end to the campaign and accountability for those behind it.
Local media have reported that vague charges are being brought against some of those detained, with some facing the possibility of life imprisonment or execution after sham trials. Others have reportedly been extorted for large sums in exchange for their freedom.
According to the Emergency Lawyers, the most alarming aspect is that in many cases, there is no trial or even imprisonment. Instead, punishment is carried out immediately, with the group documenting field executions and enforced disappearances, particularly in Khartoum state.
The charge of “collaboration” is not new in Sudan. It has often been used by the Port Sudan SAF junta to detain Sudanese citizens based on regional or ethnic backgrounds, fueling hate speech and ethnic discrimination that threatens national cohesion.
In this context, “collaboration” refers to alleged ties to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Observers say the campaign is a tool to weaken the RSF’s popular support and to retaliate for declining support for SAF-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who faces international accusations of war crimes.
The latest campaign follows an August 2023 decree by al-Burhan forming a committee to investigate anyone suspected of aiding the RSF.
The decision came as his forces suffered major territorial losses and was seen by observers as an act of vengeance against civilians — whose protection, they said, remains the government’s responsibility even during wartime.
In the days after the decree, media outlets close to al-Burhan reported that over 15,000 charges had been brought against alleged “collaborators.” Human rights groups have condemned the mass arrests as arbitrary and excessive, arguing that only the rule of law and fair trials can lead to lasting peace and stability in Sudan.
