'Dem shoot me three times' - Sudan siege survivors tok wetin dia eye see as RSF take over el-Fasher

Head and shoulders shot of one man wey dey tok. E wear one stripe, collared shirt.
Wetin we call dis foto, Ahmed Ismail Ibrahim tok say dem shoot four out of di six pipo e escape wit
    • Author, Barbara Plett Usher
    • Role, Africa correspondent
  • Read am in 7 mins

Wetin remain na only di cloth wey e wear, Ezzeldin Hassan Musa Shaken wey im eye don see shege describe di brutality of Sudan Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as di paramilitary group take control of el-Fasher city for di Darfur region.

E say dia fighters torture and murder men wey dey try to run.

Now for di town of Tawila wia e dey, Ezzeldin na one of di several thousand pipo wey make am to area wey dey safe small afta e escape wetin di UN don describe as "horrific" violence.

On Wednesday, 29 October, RSF leader Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo bin admit to "violations" for el-Fasher and e say dem go investigate am.

One day later, one UN senior official tok say RSF don give notice say dem don arrest some suspects.

About 80km (50-mile) journey from el-Fasher, Tawila na one of di several places wia dos wey dey lucky enough to escape di RSF fighters dey run go.

"We comot el-Fasher four days ago. Di suffering we see for road dey unimaginable," Ezzeldin tok.

"Dem divide us into groups and beaten. Di scenes dey extremely brutal. We see as dem kill pipo for our front. We see as dem beat-beat pipo, E dey very terrible.

"Dem beat me for head, back, and legs. Dem beat me with sticks. Dem wan kill us finally. But wen di opportunity come, we run, but dem catch dos wey dey in front of us."

One woman wear pink shirt and blue scarf, she turn her back to di camera, she hold pikin on her leg.
Wetin we call dis foto, Most of dos wey don reach Tawila na women and children

Ezzeldin tok say im join one group of escapees wey bin take shelter inside one building, na night dem dey move and sometimes dem go just crawl for ground make nobody see dem.

"Dem tiff our belongings," e tok. "Phones, clothes – everything, even my shoes dem tiff am. Nothing remain.

"For three days, we go chop as we dey waka for road. By God's mercy, we escape."

Dos wey dey Tawila tell BBC say, RSF dey thoroughly question and investigate di men wey travel come, as di fighters dey target anyone dem suspect to be soja.

Head and shoulders shot of one man wey wear light blue shirt. Clip mic dey attached to im collar.
Wetin we call dis foto, Dem beat Ezzeldin Hassan Musa wit sticks bifor e manage to escape

Ezzeldin na one of around 5,000 pipo wey fit don land Tawila since di fall of el-Fasher on Sunday.

Many of dem waka di entire journey wit dia legs, dem travel for three or four days to escape di violence.

One freelance journalist for Tawila, wey dey work for BBC, bin follow some of those wey travel di journey tok.

Close to Ezzeldin, Ahmed Ismail Ibrahim sidon, bandage full im body.

E say one artillery strike injure am for eye, and e comot di city on Sunday afta e receive treatment for hospital.

RSF fighters bin stop im and six oda men.

"Dem kill four of dem for our front. Dem beat and kill dem," e tok, e add say dem shoot am three times.

Ahmed describe how di fighters order to see di phones of di three of dem wey still dey alive and dem go through dem, check dia messages.

One fighter, e tok, finally tell dem say: "OK, get up and go." Dem run enta bush.

"My brothers," e add, "dem no leave me behind.

"We waka for about 10 minutes, den rest for 10 minutes, and we continue until we find peace now."

Head and shoulders shot of one woman wey tie blue headscarf.
Wetin we call dis foto, Yusra Ibrahim Mohamed run afta dem kill her husband, wey be soja

For di next tent, na one clinic wey medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) dey operate, Yusra Ibrahim Mohamed describe how im make di decision to run comot di city afta dem kill her husband, wey be soja wit di Sudanese army.

"My husband bin dey di artillery," she tok. "E bin dey return home bifor dem kill am during di attacks.

"We dey patient. Den di clashes and attacks continue. We manage to escape.

"We comot three days ago," she tok, "moving in different directions from di artillery areas. Di pipo wey dey guide us no know wetin dey hapun.

"If pesin no gree, dem go beat or rob am. Dem go collect evritin you get. Dem go even kill you. I see dead bodies for streets."

Alfadil Dukhan dey work for di MSF clinic.

E and im colleagues dey provide emergency care to pipo wey land di town - among dem, e say, na 500 pipo wey dey in need of urgent medical treatment.

"Most of di new arrivals na elders and women or children," di medic tok.

"Pipo wey dey wounded dey suffer, and dem don amputate some already.

"Dem dey really suffer too much. And wey dey try to give dem some support and some medical care."

Di ones wey come dis week for Tawila bin join hundreds of thousands wey don run earlier from di violence for el-Fasher.

Before di RSF seize am on Sunday, di city bin dey under hostage for 18 months.

Dem bomb pipo wey dey trapped wit deadly artillery and air strikes as di army plus di paramilitaries battle for el-Fasher.

Di RSF blockade of supplies and aid also put dem into serious hunger crisis.

Hundreds of thousands bin dey displaced for April wen di RSF seize control of di Zamzam camp wey dey close to di city, at di time, one of di main sites wey dey house pipo wey dey forced to run.

Three women wey tie headscarves sidon for ground for front of makeshift tents. Some of dia belongings in buckets and bags dey dia front.
Wetin we call dis foto, Dem reason say around 5,000 pipo don land Tawila in di last few days - e no dey clear how many pipo still remain

Some experts don show concern at di low numbers of pipo wey dey land for places like Tawila now.

"Dis really na point of worry for us," Caroline Bouvoir, wey dey work wit refugees for neighbouring Chad for di aid agency Solidarités International tok.

"For di past few days we get about 5,000 pipo wey don come, and we believe say about a quarter of a million pipo still dey for di city," she tok.

"We see di conditions wey those wey just arrive dey in. Dem dey highly malnourished, highly dehydrated, or sick or injured, and dem clearly dey traumatised wit wetin dem don see either for di city or for road.

"We believe say many pipo currently dey hooked for different locations between Tawila and el-Fasher, and dem no fit move forward – weda bicos of dia physical condition or sake of di insecurity for di road, wia militias unfortunately dey attack pipo wey dey try to escape go find safe haven."

For Ezzeldin, e no too happy say im escape di city sake of di fears e get for those wey still dey behind.

"My message na say make public roads dey safe for citizens," e beg, "or make dem send humanitarian aid go di streets.

"Pipo dey for critical condition – dem no fit move, speak, or seek help.

"Aid suppose reach dem, bicos many dey miss and more dey suffer."

Map of Sudan show territorial control as of 28 October 2025. Areas wey di army and allied groups dey control dey marked in red, RSF and allied groups in blue, and oda armed groups in yellow. Key cities like Khartoum, and el-Fasher dey labelled. Di Nile River also dey represented. Source: Critical Threats Project for di American Enterprise Institute.

Wetin dey hapun for Sudan

Civil war break out for Sudan for April 2023 afta one violent struggle for power between dia army and one powerful paramilitary group, di Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Di war don lead to famine and claims of genocide for di western Darfur region - fears also dey for di residents of di city of el-Fasher afta RSF recently capture am.

More dan 150,000 pipo don die for di conflict across di kontri, and about 12 million pipo don run comot dia homes for inside wetin di United Nations call di largest humanitarian crisis.