‘I witnessed them driving over wounded individuals’ – the harrowing flight from conflict in Sudan

Abdulqadir Abdullah Ali experienced severe nerve injury to his leg throughout the prolonged siege of el-Fasher, Sudan, due to his inability to obtain diabetic medication.

At 62, he struggles to walk without a pronounced limp, however, the panic struck him during the RSF’s capture of the city in western Darfur, allowing him to run without feeling pain.

“On the morning when the RSF arrived, there was a barrage of bullets and explosions,” he recounts.

“People were in a state of chaos [due to fear], they fled their homes, scattering in every direction – father, son, daughter – all running.”

The takeover of el-Fasher after an 18-month blockade marks a notably violent segment of Sudan’s ongoing civil conflict.

The BBC visited a tent encampment in northern Sudan established in army-managed areas to gather personal accounts from those who fled. The team faced surveillance from officials during the entire stay.

Since April 2023, a fierce clash between the RSF and the national army has resulted from a power struggle escalating into conflict.

Securing el-Fasher represented a significant triumph for the paramilitary, displacing the army from its final foothold in Darfur.

Yet, proof of widespread human rights violations has sparked global outcry, prompting heightened American efforts to quell the unrest.

Caution: This report includes content that may be distressing to some readers.

We encountered Mr. Ali as he navigated the camp situated in the arid landscape approximately 770km (480 miles) northeast of el-Fasher, close to al-Dabbah.

He was attempting to register his family for accommodation.

“They [RSF combatants] were shooting at civilians, particularly the elderly, using live rounds; they emptied their magazines on the vulnerable,” he recounted.

“Some RSF members arrived in vehicles. If they noticed anyone still alive, they would run over them.”

Mr. Ali ran whenever possible, crawling along the earth or concealing himself whenever the danger loomed near. He eventually reached Gurni, just a short distance from el-Fasher.

Gurni served as the initial refuge for many fleeing the city, including Mohammed Abbaker Adam, an official associated with the nearby Zamzam camp for displaced individuals.

Mr. Adam retreated to el-Fasher after the RSF overwhelmed Zamzam in April, departing a day before the city fell in October.

He grew a white beard to appear older in hopes of being treated with more leniency.

“The journey here was fraught with death,” he remarked.

“They shot people right in front of us and then carried them away to discard them far off. Along the road, we encountered unburied corpses, some left exposed for two or three days.”

“So many individuals are dispersed around,” he continued. “We have no idea where they are.”

Some who didn’t undertake the arduous route to al-Dabbah reached a relief center in Tawila, located approximately 70km from el-Fasher.

Others made it to Chad. However, according to the UN, less than half of the 260,000 individuals estimated to have resided in the city prior to its fall remain unaccounted for.

Aid organizations believe that numerous people could not venture far – hindered by the perilous conditions, potential detentions, or the necessary fees to facilitate their escape.

Mr. Adam reported that fighters also committed acts of sexual violence against women, confirming extensive reports of such occurrences.

“They would take a woman behind a tree or far away from us, out of sight, ensuring you wouldn’t witness it firsthand,” he noted.

“Yet you would hear her scream: ‘Help, help me.’ And she would reveal upon returning, ‘They assaulted me.’

The camp is predominantly populated by women, many of whom wish to remain anonymous to shield their relatives who are still in danger.

A 19-year-old woman recounted that RSF personnel at a checkpoint seized a girl from her traveling party, leaving them with no choice but to abandon her.

“I was terrified,” she expressed. “When they removed her from the vehicle at the checkpoint, I feared that at every subsequent checkpoint they would take another girl. But they only took her, and that was it until we arrived here.”

Accompanied by her younger sister and brother, her soldier father had lost his life in combat. Her mother was absent from el-Fasher during its fall.

Thus, the three siblings embarked on foot to escape the city with their grandmother, who unfortunately passed away before reaching Gurni, leaving them to proceed alone.

“We hadn’t packed enough water since we were unaware of the extensive distance,” the young woman recalled.

“We kept walking, and my grandmother collapsed. I suspected it was due to a lack of food or water.

“I checked her pulse, but she did not awaken, so I sought a doctor in a nearby village. He approached and stated, ‘Your grandmother has passed away.’ I was trying to maintain my composure for the sake of my sister and brother, but I was uncertain how to convey the news to my mother.”

They were especially anxious about their 15-year-old brother, as the RSF suspected that escaping men had been combatants.

The boy recounted his trauma at a checkpoint where all young males were extracted from the vehicles.

“The RSF interrogated us for an extended period beneath the sun,” he detailed. “They accused us of being soldiers – some older ones likely were.

“The RSF personnel loomed over us, circled us, whipping us and brandishing their firearms menacingly. I despaired and said, ‘Do whatever you wish with me.’

Ultimately, they released him after his 13-year-old sister informed them of their father’s demise, emphasizing that he was her sole brother. They met up with their mother at the camp in al-Dabbah.

Numerous individuals report the RSF separating older men and women from those of military age.

This occurred to Abdullah Adam Mohamed in Gurni, separating him from his three young daughters aged two, four, and six. The vendor had been responsible for them following his wife’s death due to shelling four months prior.

“I entrusted my daughters to the women in our group,” he explained to the BBC. “Then the RSF arrived with large vehicles, and we [the men] feared they would forcibly enlist us. So some of us fled and escaped into the neighborhood.

“Throughout the night, I pondered how I would reunite with my children. I’ve already lost so many; I feared I’d lose them as well.”

Mr. Mohamed managed to escape, but not everyone was as fortunate. According to Mr. Ali, he witnessed from afar as the RSF opened fire on a group of men.

“They executed the men, sparing the women, but the men were shot without mercy,” he recounted to the BBC. “There were many fatalities, and we fled.”

Mr. Ali and Mr. Adam departed Gurni on donkeys, traveling during the night to the next location, Tur’rah.

Mr. Mohamed also reached Tur’rah, where he rejoined his daughters. From that point, they took vehicles for the lengthy journey to al-Dabbah.

Many arrived at the encampment with nothing to show for their flight. They left the city with minimal belongings and were required to compensate at checkpoints.

“The RSF fighters confiscated everything we possessed: money, phones, even our decent clothing,” noted Mr. Adam. “At every point, they forced you to contact your family to transfer money to your mobile before allowing you to proceed.”

The RSF responded to the BBC’s inquiries by denying allegations of systematic assaults on civilians.

“The specific claims presented – looting, killings, sexual violence, or mistreatment of civilians – do not adhere to our directives,” stated Dr. Ibrahim Mukhayer, advisor to RSF leader Gen Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.

“Any RSF member found guilty of misconduct will face full accountability.”

He expressed the belief that accusations of widespread atrocities stem from a politically driven media campaign against them by what he described as Islamist factions within Sudan’s military-led government.

The RSF has released videos to attempt to reshape the narrative, showcasing its officers welcoming fleeing individuals from el-Fasher, trucks delivering humanitarian assistance, and the reopening of medical facilities.

Mr. Mohamed conveyed to the BBC that RSF foot soldiers displayed increased brutality when their superiors were absent, while Mr. Adam refuted what he characterized as efforts by the paramilitary to polish its public image.

“They follow a strategy,” he explained. “They assemble 10 or 15 individuals, provide water, and film us, presenting a façade of kindness.

“Once the cameras are off, they revert to beating us, treating us with utter cruelty, seizing everything we possess.”

Earlier this year, the United States concluded that the RSF committed genocide in Darfur.

Nevertheless, the Sudanese armed forces and their allied militias have also faced charges of atrocities, including the targeting of civilians believed to support the RSF and random shelling of populated areas.

This exceedingly brutal segment of Sudan’s catastrophic war has captured the attention of US President Donald Trump, who has pledged to become more directly involved in ongoing American efforts to mediate a ceasefire.

For those who stripped away from el-Fasher, such a resolution appears remote. They have been worn down repeatedly by this strife and are unaware of what lies ahead.

Yet they demonstrate resilience. Mr. Ali, unaware of Trump’s newfound interest, has been pursuing officials for authorization to remain in a tent within the camp where he claims, “we can survive and rest.”