(MENAFN) A Sudanese medical organization has accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of detaining thousands of civilians in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and preventing them from escaping the city, according to reports issued Sunday.

In a statement, the Sudan Doctors Network alleged that the group “continues to detain thousands of civilians inside the city of El-Fasher, and prevent them from leaving after confiscating all means of transportation used to evacuate displaced people.”

The network further stated that residents attempting to flee were turned back by the militia, including those injured by gunfire and others suffering from hunger and malnutrition.

Describing the situation as catastrophic, the group said there is a “severe shortage of medicine and medical personnel,” with some healthcare workers reportedly detained or abducted by RSF forces. It urged “the immediate release of all civilians, the opening of safe corridors for their evacuation, and allowing humanitarian organizations to bury the bodies that remain scattered on the outskirts of the city.”

Reports indicate that the RSF captured El-Fasher on October 26, during which the group allegedly committed massacres against civilians. Human rights organizations have warned that the offensive could deepen the country’s de facto division.

RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, later acknowledged that “violations” took place in El-Fasher and claimed that internal investigations were underway.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese army, a war that mediation efforts have so far failed to resolve. According to UN and local data, the violence has left around 20,000 people dead and forced more than 15 million from their homes.

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