The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudan’s powerful paramilitary group, are allegedly detaining and extorting residents in and around al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur, following their October offensive that seized control of the city.
Witnesses, aid workers, and researchers say hundreds of civilians are being held in villages surrounding al-Fashir, while others are detained within the city as the RSF and allied militias demand ransoms worth thousands of dollars. Those unable to pay are reportedly beaten or executed.
The detentions highlight the peril faced by residents who failed to flee al-Fashir—the final major stronghold to fall to the RSF after an 18-month siege. Witnesses have described mass reprisals, including summary executions and sexual violence, following the takeover.
Survivors told investigators that ransoms ranged from 5 million to 60 million Sudanese pounds (about $1,400–$17,000). Several recounted how captives who could not raise the money were shot at close range or killed in groups.
“They give you three or four days, and if you don’t transfer the money, they kill you,” said Mohamed Ismail, speaking by phone from Tawila, a nearby town under neutral control.
Ismail said he was captured in Um Jalbakh with 24 others after fleeing al-Fashir. He and his nephew were released only after each paid 10 million pounds, while nine men were executed in front of them.
Ethnically Charged Violence
The RSF’s legal adviser, Mohamed Mukhtar, denied responsibility, claiming that most detentions and ransom demands were carried out by impostors “disguised in RSF uniforms.”
An RSF internal committee, led by Ahmed al-Nour al-Hala, reportedly investigates more than 100 alleged abuse cases daily and has already arrested and convicted several suspects.
The fall of al-Fashir marked a turning point in Sudan’s 2½-year civil war between the RSF and the national army, which has produced what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Both sides have been accused of war crimes.
Before the city’s capture, up to 250,000 civilians were believed to be living there. The RSF, a predominantly Arab force, has been implicated in mass killings of non-Arab communities across Darfur, echoing atrocities from two decades ago.
Former detainees said RSF fighters routinely asked victims about their ethnic background, often hurling racial slurs before attacking them.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that over 100,000 people have fled al-Fashir since its fall, with thousands reaching Tawila and Chad, while many remain trapped in RSF-controlled areas such as Garney, Korma, Um Jalbakh, Shagra, Hilat Alsheikh, Jebel Wana, and Tora.
Ransom and Torture Accounts
One former captive, Yassir Hamad Ali, 36, said RSF fighters detained and beat him after he fled al-Fashir on October 29. His family was initially told to pay 150 million pounds, but the ransom was negotiated down to 5 million pounds, transferred via a Sudanese digital wallet.
Another survivor, Ibrahim Kitr, 30, said his family mortgaged their home to pay 35 million pounds for his release. “I don’t think they will be able to pay it back,” he said. His brother described being beaten and threatened on live video calls—tactics resembling Libyan smuggling networks that coerce families through violence.
Aid workers say ransom-taking on this scale is unprecedented in Darfur, even as looting and abductions by RSF-aligned forces have become common.
Satellite images of Garney village, dated November 28, show hundreds of new makeshift shelters, suggesting long-term detentions.
Detentions and Abuse Inside Al-Fashir
Former captives described being held in military facilities, university dormitories, and hospitals in al-Fashir.
A 62-year-old teacher said he was detained with hundreds of men in a children’s hospital where they were forced to drink sewage-contaminated water. “About 300 men died,” he said.
Another survivor, Mujahid Eltahir, 35, said he was freed after paying 30 million pounds, only to be rearrested in Zalingei, where another 6 million pounds was demanded.
Women have also been detained. One woman said she was blindfolded and raped for several days in Garney, while another said she witnessed such assaults and was threatened when she tried to intervene.
Despite posting videos online showing residents receiving food and medical aid, survivors say the RSF stages these recordings for propaganda.
“They did a video showing that they treated us well,” said one nurse. “They torture you one moment, and then put you on live the next.”
The al-Fashir crisis underscores the escalating brutality of Sudan’s war, where ransom, extortion, and ethnically motivated violence have become systematic tools of control. Humanitarian agencies continue to demand unrestricted access to the region, warning that thousands remain missing, starving, and trapped in RSF custody.
