Mr. Oshi belongs to one of the “resistance committees” that make up a grass-roots, pro-democracy movement that protested military rule before the current fighting. They have become a lifeline for some residents in Khartoum, distributing food, medicine and cellphone credit. To do this, they have had to learn to play both sides, especially the R.S.F.
When a source within the R.S.F. warns of a strike to come, or someone within the military or secret services cautions that escalated fighting can be expected, the committee issues a social media alert, Mr. Oshi said.
In a largely residential neighborhood in Khartoum, R.S.F. fighters moved into four apartment buildings in one area, turning the streets into a war zone, said a member of the area’s resistance committee, who asked not to be named out of concern for her safety.
She said the committee has had to negotiate with R.S.F. fighters to allow some families to leave, begging their way through checkpoints, where fighters have not asked for money but have asked for water or food. Most residents oblige, trying to survive, the member said.
Others simply hide, living in fear of a force with a terrifying past.
The R.S.F. originated from the notorious Janjaweed militias, which in the early 2000s helped the former dictator Omar Hassan al-Bashir brutally quash a rebellion in the western region of Darfur. Analysts and Western officials estimate that the unit has 70,000 to 100,000 fighters, and that they are better trained and equipped than the army.
The R.S.F. leader, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan, was a commander with the Janjaweed who rose through the ranks to become one of the closest backers of Mr. al-Bashir, before turning on him. After Mr. al-Bashir was deposed in 2019, General Hamdan grew in power and stature, becoming the second-ranking figure behind the army commander, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, now his enemy.
