Sudanese force holding survivors of Darfur siege for ransom, witnesses say
Awadeya, a Sudanese displaced woman who was held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), cooks food at a camp for displaced people who fled from al-Fashir to Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan, November 15, 2025.
The Sudanese paramilitary force that besieged then overran a city in Darfur in late October is systematically holding trapped residents for ransom, killing or beating those whose families cannot pay, witnesses, aid workers and researchers say.
Reuters could not determine exactly how many people the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias have detained in and around al-Fashir, capital of North Darfur. But the accounts suggest that large groups are being held in a cluster of villages within 80 km (50 miles) of al-Fashir, while others have been brought back into the city as the RSF demands payments worth thousands of dollars from their relatives.
