Khartoum, November 5 (Darfur24)
Residents and relatives in North Darfur report that armed groups wearing Rapid Support Forces (RSF) uniforms have been abducting civilians fleeing El Fasher and demanding ransom payments in exchange for their release.
According to eyewitnesses, the kidnappings began shortly after the RSF seized control of El Fasher in late October.
Darfur24 documented six ransom cases in areas surrounding the city, including Korma, Qarni, Donki Shata, Umm Marahik, Turra, and Qoz Bina.
Families said they were forced to transfer between 1 million and 10 million Sudanese pounds through mobile banking applications to secure the release of their relatives.
In several cases, families received videos and voice notes from the abducted individuals pleading for help. Darfur24 verified a video showing Dr. Abbas Al-Sadiq, a professor at Al-Fashir University, urging a friend to pay two million pounds to save his life. The payment was confirmed, and Dr. Abbas was later released.
A resident told Darfur24 that his brother was kidnapped while leaving El Fasher on the Shala Central Prison road. He was taken to Qoz Bina and forced to contact his family. “After negotiations, we paid two million pounds into four different accounts. They released him in Shangil Tobaya, and he later reached Mershing,” he said.
Another resident reported paying three million pounds to free his father, who was abducted in Umm Marahik. “They sent us an audio message saying they were giving him only a little flour to survive,” he said. His father was eventually released in Mellit.
A volunteer in El Fasher said emergency response workers were also targeted. He said eight million pounds was paid to free two volunteers kidnapped west of the city, while others remain unaccounted for.
In a recent briefing, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said some survivors reported being separated according to age, gender, or perceived ethnic identity.
A representative of the RSF civilian administration denied that RSF forces were involved, attributing the kidnappings to “rogue armed groups” operating outside their command. He said the RSF has been providing civilians inside the city with food, water, and medical care.
El Fasher was the Sudanese army’s final major stronghold in Darfur before the RSF captured the headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division, ending a siege that lasted more than 18 months.