‘Like a Horror Movie’: Survivors Describe 770 km Escape from El‑Fasher After RSF Seizure

Survivors of the violent takeover of El‑Fasher on October 26 say they walked for days across desert terrain, passing dead bodies and armed men who humiliated and assaulted them as they fled a city now controlled by paramilitary forces.

Nearly 100,000 people reportedly fled El‑Fasher — the last army-held stronghold in western Darfur — after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the city. Many of those evacuees reached Al‑Dabbah refugee camp in Northern State, roughly 770 kilometres (480 miles) to the northeast, where witnesses told AFP they had seen corpses by the roadside and endured hunger, thirst and repeated attacks.

Local officials say about 50,000 people have arrived in Al‑Dabbah since the RSF began besieging El‑Fasher in May 2024. Over more than two and a half years, the conflict between the RSF and Sudanese army has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 12 million people, producing what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Negotiations toward a humanitarian truce remain stalled as both sides consolidate territory and political standing.

Firsthand accounts

'Dead bodies'

"We arrived here completely exhausted. We thought we were going to die," said Zahra Youssef, a survivor now sheltering in Al‑Dabbah. "There was no water, no food. The roads were impassable. It was desert. It took us 16 days to get here. Along the way, there were dead bodies, people lying in the streets. Everywhere we looked, we saw dead bodies."

'Like a horror movie'

Hussein Mohamed, who fled with his family, described the journey as "inhuman." "Just a kilometre outside El‑Fasher, a man pointed a gun at us. Soon after, we found three men running in our direction. That's when the body searches and insults began," he said. "They searched the women horribly. One woman said, 'I have my period', but they ignored her. The roads were terrifying because of the bodies — adults and children, with clothes, belongings and documents scattered like a scene from a horror film."

At a checkpoint, Hussein said, "they made us get out of our vehicles... They took nine young men, accusing them of being soldiers. They began torturing them. They kicked them in the head."

'As if we weren't human'

Suleiman Mohamed recounted that paramilitary fighters stripped and humiliated women. "They touched the women, even taking off their undergarments," he said. "They took phones, money, anything they could find. They searched us like we weren't human beings. We heard the worst insults. We saw bodies of young men on the road; we don't know how they died. They took nearly all my money."

'They wanted to rape my sisters'

Mohamed Adam, 12, who fled with his mother and siblings, said the fighters "would not leave us alone. They wanted to rape my sisters. My mother told them, 'Rape me instead, but not the girls.' Then they threw stones at us as we ran away."

'Taking girls' virginity'

Mazaher Ibrahim said that even walking in groups offered little safety. "When we girls walk together, we put henna on our hands even if we're not married," she said. "The RSF prefer unmarried girls. They boast about killing and about taking girls' virginity. One of them said proudly, 'I am up to 40 girls.'"

Those who survived the 770‑kilometre trek now shelter in overcrowded camps in northern Sudan with limited food, water and medical care. Many have lost family members along the route and say the memories of what they witnessed continue to haunt them. Humanitarian agencies warn that urgent aid, protection and medical services are needed to prevent further suffering.

Note: All quoted testimony reflects survivors' accounts as reported to AFP.