Sudanese medics accuse RSF of detaining thousands in El-Fasher

A leading Sudanese medical organization has leveled serious accusations against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), claiming the group is holding thousands of civilians against their will in the city of El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, and actively blocking their escape from the conflict zone.

Dire Conditions and Blocked Evacuations

In a statement released on Sunday, the Sudan Doctors Network detailed that the RSF is not only detaining civilians but has also confiscated transportation means and is forcibly returning residents who attempt to flee. The group reported that those turned back include individuals with gunshot wounds and others suffering from severe malnutrition, exacerbating the human toll of the Sudan conflict in the strategic city.

Plea for Humanitarian Access

The medical network described the overall situation in El-Fasher as "extremely dire," citing critical shortages of medical supplies and a lack of healthcare workers, some of whom are reportedly detained by the RSF. They issued a call for the "immediate release of all civilians," demanding the opening of safe corridors for evacuation and for humanitarian groups to be allowed to recover the dead from the city's outskirts.

Context of the Broader Conflict

The RSF seized control of El-Fasher in late October, an action accompanied by reports of massacres against civilians. The paramilitary group's leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, later acknowledged that "violations" had been committed by his forces in the city. The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has resulted in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, displacing millions and claiming thousands of lives, with international mediation efforts so far failing to halt the fighting.