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Nawal Khalil had been volunteering as a nurse over a three-year period within the South El Fasher hospital as the city became captured on Sunday by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). She was occupied with patient care, among them an older female patient who needed a blood transfusion, as the assault commenced.

“They murdered six wounded military personnel plus civilian patients in their beds – including some women,” she says. “I don’t know what happened to my other patients. I had to run when they stormed the hospital.”

Khalil, 27, was shot in the right foot and upper leg as RSF fighters took control of the adjacent military command center. She ran from the urban area and walked for a day, wounded and without nourishment, to arrive at Garney town. “Along the route, they seized my mobile and cash,” she describes. “I was left with nothing.”

More than 1,000 people – comprising women and children – journeyed by walking for 48 hours to arrive at Tawila town located in northern Darfur after fleeing El Fasher, which was seized following an 18-month blockade.

The town of Tawila, approximately 34 miles westward of El Fasher, is under the control of the Sudan Liberation Army faction led by Abdul Wahid Mohamed al-Nur (SLA-AW).

Last Tuesday, the collaborative Joint Forces – which partner with Sudan's military – blamed the RSF of killing more than 2,000 civilians after the city's capture. The UN said that footage existed featuring numerous unarmed males being shot or lying dead, surrounded by RSF fighters.”

Contextual Information

Fighting broke out in Khartoum during April of 2023 when an intensifying power struggle between the two main factions of the military regime eventually resulted in fatalities.

Among the combatants are the Sudanese armed forces, who remain broadly loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country’s de facto ruler. Challenging him are the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a gathering of armed factions who follow the former warlord General Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

The RSF was initially founded by the former dictatorial ruler Omar al-Bashir himself as an Arab anti-rebellion militia called the Janjaweed, which quickly became synonymous with extensive brutalities. Back in 2013, Bashir converted the organization into the Rapid Support Forces, using them to quell a recent insurrection in South Darfur.

The war has pushed Sudan into among the most severe humanitarian crises in contemporary history, based on UN statements. It has produced the world’s worst displacement crisis, scattering more than 10 million people inside the nation plus 4 million who escaped into neighbouring countries, putting mounting pressure upon Chad and South Sudan.

Current Situation Updates

Based on eyewitness accounts, numerous more non-combatants stay confined by RSF forces and allied militias in Garney, south-west of El Fasher. Numerous are ex-military personnel from Sudan's armed forces, the collaborative forces plus additional armed factions that had been fighting alongside the army. They are reportedly being held because they cannot afford ransom requests of between 5m and 10m Sudanese pounds (approximately £6,000-£12,000), per those who escaped who made it to Tawila. Individuals incapable of paying have been held for multiple days, and in some cases released only after falling seriously ill.

Reports suggest the SLA-AW has authorized government troops fleeing El Fasher to enter Tawila provided they give up their weapons.

Adam Yagoub, aged 28, a motorist originating from Sennar from central Sudanese regions, narrowly escaped being killed following his capture by three camel-riding militiamen close to Garney.

“They wanted to cut my head off with a blade,” he recounts, displaying his arm, which one of the fighters hit with the stock of a Kalashnikov. “Afterward one remembered me – his brother was my colleague – and urged them not to execute me. There were 18 of us who departed El Fasher collectively, however just eight arrived in Tawila. I assume the others died.”

Yagoub states he witnessed 22 deceased individuals near what he called a “fake well” used by the RSF and partner armed groups along the Garney-Tawila route. “It represents a trap,” he says. “People walk all day without water, and upon arriving there, the armed groups lie in wait. They slaughtered 22 men on that spot and took the bodies away to hide them.”

Another nurse who ran from South El Fasher hospital following Sunday's assault stated RSF combatants came in through one gate and began shooting at patients in the ER section, murdering no less than eight. “We escaped through a different gate, yet they assaulted my head using a rifle,” he says.

In a video statement on Wednesday, the leader of the RSF, General Dagalo, referred to as Hemedti, declared that any fighter or commander who infringed upon the rights of any person” would be held accountable.

Many of those who escaped from El Fasher passed hours concealing themselves near military artillery prior to escaping westward under cover of darkness. Families already uprooted from the city’s Abu Shouk camp had to displace once more, finding shelter in Daraja Oula area prior to ultimately traveling to Tawila.

Individuals seized by the RSF within Garney reportedly received {water mixed with flour|flour