Kidnappings Surge in El Fasher as Families Pay Ransoms in Vain
Residents of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, report a wave of kidnappings by armed groups aligned with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following the militia’s takeover of the city in October. Families say they have paid large sums in ransom but received no word on the fate of their loved ones.
Ishaq Mohamed Ibrahim, whose nephew was abducted, said his family paid four million Sudanese pounds to the kidnappers after days of negotiation. The abductors had promised to release the young man in the town of Kebkabiya, about 155 kilometers west of El Fasher, but communication was cut off after the money was delivered. The victim’s whereabouts remain unknown.
In another case, Rahab al-Nour, the wife of a kidnapped man, said the abductors demanded six million pounds and gave her 24 hours to pay. Unable to raise the amount in time, she lost contact with them, and her husband has been missing for over a week.
Rahab added that several families paid ransoms ranging between one and ten million pounds, yet none of the abductees were released. She noted that the dire economic situation has left many families unable to meet the kidnappers’ escalating demands.
Lawyer Mohamed Abdullah told Darfur24 that ransom demands have sharply increased since the RSF seized control of the city. He said kidnappers often extort families multiple times, taking additional payments before handing captives over to RSF units as prisoners—or killing them.
According to Abdullah, some families received calls from their relatives’ phones, only for the lines to go dead after transferring the ransom. The money, he said, was sent through mobile banking apps to multiple accounts linked to the abductors.
Darfur24 documented at least six similar cases in areas surrounding El Fasher, including Kurma, Garni, Donki Shata, Umm Marahik, Turra, and Goz Beina. Families were reportedly forced to pay after receiving video clips showing their relatives pleading for their lives.
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