Source: BBC News
DST News: Twelve-year-old Abdiwahab—not his real name—breaks down in tears as he recounts his escape from the war-ravaged western Sudanese city of El-Fasher, which recently fell under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The paramilitary group has been fighting the Sudanese army for more than two years in a brutal civil war.
In a video obtained by the BBC, Abdiwahab appears exhausted and grief-stricken as he describes being assaulted “many times” by RSF fighters during his desperate journey. After walking for three days, he finally reached Tawila—around 80 kilometers away—but arrived there alone.
“I left with my father and siblings, but amid the chaos, we were separated. I came to Tawila by myself,” he said, adding that RSF soldiers repeatedly detained and beat him, accusing him of being a spy.
His story echoes countless others of men and boys who face arbitrary arrests, violence, and even summary executions in Sudan’s conflict zones.
Abdiwahab said his mother and sister were abducted by RSF fighters a month earlier, and he has no idea whether they are still alive.
Ali—also not his real name—a volunteer aid worker who fled El-Fasher two weeks ago, filmed the boy’s testimony. Stationed at a temporary camp on Tawila’s outskirts, Ali says Abdiwahab was terrified, often mistaking distant lights for RSF vehicles coming to capture him.
“When he saw a light in the distance, he froze and screamed,” Ali said. “He’s deeply traumatized.”
Aid workers in Tawila describe a humanitarian crisis worsening by the day. Camps are flooded with unaccompanied children and families who lost everything on the road.
“Just yesterday, twin children around 10 years old arrived with a woman who said their parents died on the way,” Ali told the BBC. “People are arriving injured, starving, and begging for rescue missions for those still trapped on the road.”
Survivors spoke of seeing bodies scattered along the route and hearing the cries of the wounded. Relief operations are also in jeopardy—after five Red Crescent volunteers were killed earlier this week, aid groups have restricted movement beyond Tawila.
Save the Children reports that many mothers arriving in the camp are in dire need of food, water, and medical care. Some were attacked and robbed by armed men during their escape.
The UN refugee agency has warned that it is running out of shelter and supplies for the thousands seeking refuge in the area.
Inside El-Fasher, conditions remain catastrophic. Reports indicate widespread killings as the RSF tightens control. RSF commander Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has admitted to “violations” and promised an investigation, while the UN says some arrests have been made.
Save the Children estimates that over 260,000 civilians—including 130,000 children—remain trapped in the besieged city, enduring famine-like conditions and a total collapse of health services.
So far, the UN believes around 60,000 people have managed to flee, many carrying stories of horror, loss, and survival—like that of Abdiwahab, who still clings to hope of finding his family again.
