SAR EXPRESSES DEEP CONCERN OVER DEATHS OF THREE CIVILIANS IN RSF DETENTION IN SOUTH DARFUR.

The Sudanese Alliance for Rights (SAR) expresses deep concern over the reported deaths of three civilians from Ghubish locality in West Kordofan while in the custody of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) at Daqris Prison in Nyala, South Darfur.

According to the Kordofan Observatory, Muawiya Adam Suleiman Jabara, Hassan Mohamed Abdel Qadir and Adam Hamid Laban, known as “Sheiriya”, died on 26 October 2026 after reportedly being held at Daqris Prison for more than a year. The three men were reportedly arrested in July 2025 during an RSF campaign in Ghubish that affected more than 50 people and were subsequently transferred to Nyala without their families being informed of the reasons for their detention. Their families reportedly remained without information about their fate until they learnt of their deaths.

The circumstances surrounding their prolonged detention and deaths raise serious concerns regarding the treatment and protection of civilians deprived of their liberty. According to the Kordofan Observatory, Hassan Mohamed Abdel Qadir was detained after questioning RSF personnel who were taking his relative, Muawiya Jabara, away. Adam Hamid Laban was a teacher and educator approaching the age of 70, while Jabara sold vehicle tyres and Abdel Qadir traded dried meat in Ghubish.

The Kordofan Observatory has further reported allegations of hunger, disease, torture and deteriorating conditions at Daqris Prison and has called for an independent investigation into the deaths. SAR stresses that these allegations must be independently and impartially investigated and that the precise causes and circumstances of the deaths should be established through proper forensic and investigative processes.

The deaths also raise urgent concerns for the safety and wellbeing of other civilians reportedly held at Daqris Prison. According to the Kordofan Observatory, 26 other people from Ghubish remain detained, while their families have reportedly received no reliable information about their whereabouts or condition for more than a year.

These concerns are further reinforced by previous reports concerning conditions at Daqris Prison. In June 2026, the Sudan Doctors Network reported that more than 215 civilians had died at the RSF run facility during May and June, attributing the reported deaths to disease, harsh detention conditions, inadequate healthcare and alleged torture and mistreatment. The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies has also documented allegations concerning overcrowding, inadequate food and water, poor healthcare and deaths in custody at the facility. While these reports and figures require independent verification, their recurrence underscores the urgent need for independent access to Daqris Prison and other detention facilities under RSF control.

Under international humanitarian and human rights law, all persons deprived of their liberty must be treated humanely and protected from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Detaining authorities have a duty to protect the lives and health of persons in their custody, provide adequate food, water and necessary medical care, and ensure humane conditions of detention. Any death in custody must be promptly documented and subject to an effective, independent and impartial investigation.

SAR is particularly concerned by the reported prolonged detention of civilians without their families being informed of the reasons for their detention or their whereabouts. Such practices raise serious concerns regarding arbitrary detention, incommunicado detention and violations of fundamental procedural safeguards.

SAR calls on the RSF to immediately disclose the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Muawiya Adam Suleiman Jabara, Hassan Mohamed Abdel Qadir and Adam Hamid Laban, preserve all relevant detention, medical and other records, and ensure that their families receive complete information concerning their deaths and the whereabouts and condition of their remains.

SAR calls for an independent, transparent and impartial investigation into the three deaths, including the circumstances of their arrest, detention, treatment and access to food and medical care. Where evidence establishes responsibility for unlawful killing, torture, ill treatment, medical neglect or other violations, those responsible must be held accountable in accordance with applicable law.

SAR further calls on the RSF to immediately account for the 26 civilians reportedly remaining in detention from Ghubish locality. Their families must be informed of their whereabouts and condition, and the detainees must be provided with adequate food, water, medical care and access to their families and legal representatives. Those held without lawful grounds should be released immediately.

SAR urges the United Nations, African Union and independent humanitarian and human rights organisations to seek immediate and unhindered access to Daqris Prison and other detention facilities under RSF control to independently assess detention conditions, establish the whereabouts and condition of detainees, document reported violations and support measures to prevent further deaths in custody.

The reported deaths of three civilians after more than a year in detention, alongside continuing concerns over the fate of other detainees, underscore the urgent need for independent scrutiny of detention facilities under RSF control. No civilian should die in custody without a transparent investigation into how and why the death occurred. Those responsible for violations must be held accountable, and immediate measures must be taken to protect the lives and rights of those who remain detained.

Sudanese Alliance for Rights,

27 October 2026