Nairobi, September 05 (Darfur24)
Families and local sources say armed Chadian men have detained several Rapid Support Forces (RSF) members inside Chad and demanded ransoms for their release, following an airstrike on an RSF convoy near the Sudan-Chad-Libya border.
The family of an RSF soldier identified as Ahmed told Darfur24 that armed men detained their son after finding him and several other RSF members stranded in Chadian territory. The gunmen subsequently demanded three million Central African CFA francs, equivalent to about 177 million Sudanese pounds, for his release.
Four Sudanese and Chadian sources told Darfur24 that the convoy of military vehicles targeted by an airstrike in Chad’s Ennedi region belonged to the RSF and had been travelling from Libya toward Sudan through Chadian territory.
The sources said some RSF members were captured by armed Chadian groups following the strike, while others fled toward Sudan and were subsequently captured by a joint force allied with the Sudanese army.
The family of another RSF member, Al-Mardi, told Darfur24 that he was detained by Chadian gunmen in August and released after they paid one million CFA francs through a mediator in the Kalma border area.
The family said Al-Mardi is currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Chad for injuries sustained in the airstrike.
Separately, sources told Darfur24 that a joint force allied with the Sudanese army captured several RSF members, including commanders, during August. Some were reportedly released in exchange for money, while others were transferred to Tina, a Sudanese town near the Chadian border.
The Chadian army accused the Sudanese Armed Forces of carrying out airstrikes on August 20, 2026, against a convoy of vehicles in the Mordi area of eastern Ennedi, near the border with Sudan.
The incident has raised further concerns over the spillover of Sudan’s war into neighboring countries, with regional governments and international organizations warning that cross-border military activity could deepen instability across the region.