This report documents several cases of arrest, detention, summons, and security harassment targeting civil figures, community leaders, civilians, and youth in Zalingei, Central Darfur State, between August 5 and 9, 2026. This occurred amidst reports from the field indicating the implementation of exceptional security measures and a state of emergency, including restrictions and a nighttime curfew in the state.
The documented cases include the arrest of Musa Ahmed Lin, the Emir of the Bani Halba tribe in Central Darfur State, and Ahmed Jabra, who, according to information received, is an officer in the Economic Security Apparatus of the Rapid Support Forces and hails from the Bani Halba area.
The report also documents the summons of Engineer Abdul Karim Yusuf Osman, head of the Civil Administration in Central Darfur State, from his home in Zalingei to Nyala by military force, amid concerns that the summons may escalate into detention. Information also indicates a campaign of persecution targeting several leaders of the traditional administration in Zalingei, including Hussein Kasudro, head of the civil administration in Zalingei locality. However, as of the date of this report, there is insufficient information regarding the nature of this persecution or the parties behind it.
These developments coincide with another wave of arrests in the Al-Wahda neighborhood of Zalingei on the evening of August 7th, which targeted a number of young people, including 18-year-old Imran Suleiman Mohammed, whose family reports that he is being held in Zalingei prison.
All of these incidents raise serious concerns about the increasing use of arrest, summons, and persecution as security tools against civilians and community leaders, particularly given the lack of information regarding judicial warrants, official charges, procedures for presenting detainees before the prosecution or courts, or the legal guarantees afforded to those detained.