Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan, is witnessing a disturbing return to the terror and violence reminiscent of the 1990s, when the city became an open battleground for assassination and civil rights violations. During that time, over a thousand innocent lives were lost in the Khor Al-‘Afan region alone.
Today, lawyers, activists, and politicians are raising alarms about signs of a resurgence of this brutal era. One lawyer described Kadugli as an “ever-expanding prison” where oppression operates unchecked by the rule of law. According to reports from activists cited by Edraak newspaper, unlawful arrests of politicians and members of Resistance Committees, as well as Emergency Room personnel, are on the rise. These arrests are reportedly carried out by agencies closely tied to General al-Burhan’s SAF’s Military Intelligence, the Security Service, and the Popular Security Service, which is once again active in the city.
Ghost Houses Resurface
A major source of concern is the transformation of residential homes in Kadugli’s Third Class neighborhood and the area east of the popular market into “Ghost Houses”—secret locations used to detain and torture civilians.
Witnesses and legal sources confirmed that these houses are being used for brutal and inhumane practices, with one local resident reporting hearing the screams of detainees at night. The homes, once affiliated with the Islamic Movement, now serve as clandestine torture centers.
Reviving the Dark Days of the Salvation Era
Political sources also indicate that the “Kafi al-Tayyar” militia, a group once used by the former regime to fight the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, has resumed operations at a detention center north of Kadugli.
Civilians held there are enduring conditions akin to those seen during the dark days of the Salvation (Inqaz) period. The National Intelligence and Security Service remains active in neighborhoods like Almuathafeen and the local market, working alongside informants embedded within revolutionary groups. One such informant has been exposed for spying on the Resistance Committees, revealing the extent of an espionage network stifling the city’s civil spaces.
The Return of Ethnic Profiling and Extrajudicial Killings
A more alarming development is the resurgence of ethnic-based violence, as the Military Intelligence reportedly targets civilians based on their tribal identities. This form of racial profiling has led to a new wave of enforced disappearances, with the family of Suleiman Janqawi raising the alarm over his disappearance and fearing he may fall victim to extrajudicial killing. This practice is reminiscent of “Tafseeh” — a local term for death in absentia, a burial without justice or a grave.
The recent events unfolding in Kadugli are not only a breakdown of security; they represent a complete erosion of the rule of law and a grim return to the patterns of abuse and oppression experienced by the Sudanese people during their darkest days.
