Sudanese in Kordofan's Bara the latest civilians to be forced into battle

Sudanese in Kordofan's Bara the latest civilians to be forced into battle Submitted by Mohammed Amin on Fri, 08/28/2026 - 16:26 The Popular Resistance has played a crucial role in battlefield successes against the RSF, but some claim it is a vehicle to return figures from the Bashir era Members of the pro-Sudanese army Popular Resistance group gather for a rally in the Karary district of Omdurman on 30 June 2026 (Ebrahim Hamid/AFP) Off From the Sudanese war’s earliest months, civilians have been forced to take up arms to defend themselves. In Darfur’s al-Geneina in the summer of 2023, members of the Masalit community fought back as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias rampaged through the city. Similarly, villages in al-Jazira state south of Khartoum fought off invading paramilitaries as communities around them were overrun. And in el-Fasher, the North Darfur state capital that was under siege for over 550 days, residents helped keep the RSF at bay until the defensive lines finally collapsed in October 2025, precipitating the massacre of an estimated 60,000 people. Since then, the focus of the war has shifted to Kordofan, the resource-rich region to the south. Here, too, civilians have taken up arms, most often part of the Popular Resistance units fighting alongside the Sudanese Armed Forces, but also through non-violent means. The Popular Resistance was established by army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in June 2023, with the SAF providing tens of thousands of civilians with weapons and training. Its cadres include people from all parts of Sudanese society, including pro-democracy revolutionaries who previously opposed Burhan and his military rule. However, Sumood, the bloc of civilian political parties led by former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok, argues that the Popular Resistance is dominated by religious conservatives who intend to use it to return figures from Omar al-Bashir’s era to power. In North Kordofan, the scene of intense recent battles, Popular Resistance fighters say politics has taken a back seat when confronted with the danger of the RSF. Mustafa Karam al-Din, a pharmacist from the city of Bara, joined the Popular Resistance under SAF command when the RSF killed his brother and ransacked his home last year. “They raided our house, killing my brother and others in my neighbourhood, so I had no option other than taking up weapons to protect myself and my family and neighbours,” he tells MEE in el-Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital. “The RSF was very brutal with everybody when they entered the city. That wasn't just against armed people but against all citizens, including the civilians.” According to Karam al-Din, the RSF was out for revenge when they recaptured Bara, after the SAF briefly held the city last year, because its residents had celebrated the paramilitary's ouster. “They had videos and lists of some people, including the agents of the Popular Resistance,” he says. Karam al-Din says it became clear to civilians in Bara and elsewhere in Kordofan that they needed to protect themselves. “They entered police stations and weapons stores and took up weapons. They also got others from the SAF. Then the Popular Resistance was organised, including in Bara, el-Obeid and other areas in Kordofan,” he said. Bara, in particular, has witnessed extreme violence. The RSF and SAF have traded the city on Kordofan’s strategic Export Road several times over the past three years. Since July, Bara has been held by the army. “Since October last year we have been fighting with the SAF against the RSF until we liberated our city, and I’m very proud of that,” Karam al-Din says. The RSF has committed abuses across Sudan since the war broke out and has been accused of genocide in Darfur by the United States and several human rights groups. 'This conflict has become a war against the UAE’s foreign invasion, which is using the RSF as a tool' - Mustafa Karam al-Din, Popular Resistance fighter The group is backed by the UAE, which despite global outrage has supplied the paramilitary with weapons and mercenaries. “This conflict has become a war against the UAE’s foreign invasion, which is using the RSF as a tool,” says Karam al-Din, who currently mans checkpoints on the frontline. According to him, weapons and other supplies from the UAE were found in the hands of RSF fighters as the SAF retook Bara. “We have also arrested mercenaries from Colombia, South Sudan and other countries fighting with the RSF in Um Syala and Gabrat al-Shiekh,” he says. Godat Abdul Hadi, a leading member of the Popular Resistance, told MEE that it provides military training for hundreds of youths from Bara who were displaced to el-Obeid. “The Popular Resistance in el-Obeid, Bara and other areas began at the start of the war and even before the SAF officially declared and expanded it under SAF command,” he says. “The number was initially small, but it has hugely increased in response to the RSF invasion of the majority of North and West Kordofan and with the widespread atrocities it committed.” Protection and risk When the RSF attacked Bara last October, Mohammed Adam was sitting with his friends and neighbours, talking about the humanitarian efforts to help Bara’s people after the paramilitary’s last devastating assault. Despite some of his friends and cousins carrying weapons, Adam, who is a pro-democracy activist and part of the Resistance Committees network that led the 2019 popular revolution against Bashir, was not convinced carrying weapons alongside the SAF was the right solution to the danger of the RSF. When the RSF overran his city, any evidence that civilians were involved in armed resistance was a death sentence for people trying to flee. In Sudan’s deserted Bara, blood waters its famous lemon trees Read More » “I can never forget that day. Some of the armed youths were with me in my house, and they were unable to join their units because of intensive RSF fire. So, we lay under beds for hours, and when the crossfire stopped, we realised the SAF had been defeated and RSF fighters were starting to attack civilians,” he recalls. “We quickly decided to hide everything associated with fighting, including my friends’ Kalashnikovs and military uniforms. I gave them some of my normal clothes, and we decided to leave the city that day.” Before they could leave, RSF fighters entered Adam’s house and threatened everyone there, accusing them of being "fulool", a term for people associated with the “deep state”. Despite searching the home, fortunately they did not uncover the guns and fatigues. That night, Adam and his friends were able to escape Bara and head towards el-Obeid, which was still under SAF control. “When we got out of my house, we saw a disaster. Dozens of dead bodies were in the streets, and wounded and displaced people were all along the route. The people of the nearby villages helped us with whatever they could provide: food, water and simple medical treatment,” he says. “We endured difficult times at the hands of the RSF. One incident turned the people of Bara against them completely, when they killed one of our neighbours and then attacked the funeral ceremony the same day, killing many other people for no reason.” Skeptics among the revolutionaries Not all of Kordofan’s pro-democracy activists are so supportive of the Popular Resistance. One member of the Resistance Committees network in Bara told MEE he believes that the mobilised units are dominated by religious conservatives and people linked to Bashir’s rule. “Former regime associates are leading the so-called Popular Resistance in Bara and other places in order to pave the way for the old regime to exploit the war and return to power,” says the activist, who asked for anonymity for security reasons. “This war has to be stopped by all means and concessions. It destroyed the country and enabled the old regime to come back through the SAF,” he claims. However, Adam said many Sudanese, particularly the youth, don’t feel like they have a choice whether to take up arms and fight under SAF command or not. “The RSF has attacked everybody: civilians or military, young or old, men or women. They take revenge on everybody in Bara,” he says. “Those who took up weapons in self-defence were our brothers, cousins and neighbours. Any previous political disagreements are not an issue at the moment,” he adds. “Let me tell you: I prefer not to carry weapons under the SAF, but I can’t tell those who have been attacked and humiliated by the RSF not to defend themselves by all means.” Sudan war el-Obeid, Sudan News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0