Omdurman, Al-Daba, July 12, 2025, (Sudanile) – Issam Abdel Rahman (a pseudonym for security reasons) did not expect that his survival of the war in Omdurman would lead to nearly three months of arbitrary detention in the northern state, without trial or clear charges.
Issam, a displaced person who settled with his family in the city of Al-Daba in Northern State, was arrested on March 23, 2024, by a force affiliated with army intelligence while driving his car. He was verbally informed that there was a report against him on charges of “supplying fuel to the Rapid Support Forces.”
He was not presented with an arrest warrant or any material evidence, but rather the accusation was based on a tip-off that was likely part of the “report a collaborator” campaign that escalated on social media during that period, according to his family.
Arrest on suspicion:
Essam’s sister told Sudanile: “He was not involved in any political or military activity; he was just trying to rebuild his life after being displaced. But he was suddenly placed under suspicion, arrested, and we were prevented from visiting him or knowing where he was being held.”
Despite the family’s attempts to hire a lawyer and the prosecution’s announcement of periodic lists of detainees, Essam has never been brought before a court. His name does not appear on any list, and his fate remains unknown to this day. The “Report a Collaborator” campaign: from reports to liquidations
Sudanile monitored posts circulating on social media, particularly on Facebook pages such as: “Report a Collaborator,” “Report a Collaborator in Your Area,” and “Report a Civilian Collaborator.”
The backup page of police officer Al-Mustafa publishes photos and personal information of civilians accused of collaborating with the Rapid Support Forces and explicitly calls on the security and military authorities to “take the necessary action.”
According to observers, these pages promote social and political denunciations, targeting students, women, and entire families, especially in cities such as Atbara, Madani, Khartoum, and others, using terms such as “transparent,” “remnants,” and “collaborators,” in the complete absence of legal evidence.
Emergency lawyers say that such campaigns are a flagrant violation of the principle of presumption of innocence and have already led to random arrests and physical liquidation of individuals based on their affiliations or places of residence, rather than on conclusive evidence.
A war with no clear objectives… and an open field for all:
Dr. Ibrahim Kabashi, professor of political science at universities, believes that the “Report a Collaborator” campaign cannot be separated from the chaos caused by the war.
He says: “What we are experiencing today is a state of daily persecution and changing classifications, with new descriptions emerging each time from actors in the field, with the aim of achieving political or social gains.
The war is out of the control of the parties, and anyone with an agenda is now able to exert influence.”
He adds in his interview with Sudanile that citizens are now living in a constant trade-off between security and food, between survival and forced affiliation with areas of control, resulting in complex violations based not on conviction but on imposed necessity.
Militarization and a climate of revenge:
Kabbashi emphasizes that the war has led to the uncontrolled militarization of society, amid the almost complete absence of military and police justice, and the transformation of circulating information into a tool for settling scores on social, political, or even sporting grounds.
He points out that people are classified based on previous impressions or specific positions, and in the shadow of escalating hate speech, the law has disappeared, and regional and racial classifications have emerged, leading to a collapse of trust in judicial institutions and the spread of repression beyond the war zones.
An unofficial campaign with open media weapons:
On the other hand, lawyer Mohamed Salah from the Emergency Lawyers Committee explains that the campaign was not launched by judicial or official bodies, but rather by supporters of the army via social media platforms, during which lists of civilians were published who were described as “collaborators” simply because they were in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces.
In an interview with Sudanile, Salah said: “The civilians were victims between two sides, the Rapid Support Forces, which oppressed them, and the army supporters, who pursued them with accusations.” He believes that these calls have no legal basis and are used as a pretext for arrest or execution without trial.
He points out that the trials taking place in areas controlled by the army do not meet the standards of fair trials, as dozens are arrested without being allowed to meet with lawyers or appear before judges within the legal time limits. He notes that some detainees have spent more than a year without their cases being heard by the court, which is a clear violation of the law.
A threat to the social fabric:
Political analyst Mohamed Turshin warns that the campaign has become a direct threat to community security, noting that labeling entire groups as collaborators with one side in the war will fuel tribalism and division and could lead to waves of revenge that are difficult to control, especially given the weakness of the state and the collapse of the rule of law.
Turshin tells Sudanile that what is being conveyed to the international community through these campaigns paints a grim picture of Sudan, a country where justice and institutions are collapsing and war is being waged through Facebook pages.
The three speakers agreed that Sudan is going through a sensitive phase and that addressing these abuses requires the return of justice institutions, the activation of the role of the military and civil judiciary, the cessation of inflammatory rhetoric, and the provision of guarantees for fair trials.
The Sudanese Media Forum and its member institutions are publishing this article, prepared by Sudanile, to highlight incitement campaigns on social media and their use as a tool to settle political and personal scores and spread hate speech in the absence of state institutions.
