Ransom in El Fasher: A Human Trafficking Market

“Two of the men with us said they couldn’t pay the ransom—so they lined them up in front of us and executed them.”
A sentence that may sound shocking to many, but it reflects the reality faced by those fleeing the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, after it fell into the hands of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in late October, following a suffocating 550-day siege.

With this sentence, Mohamed Bakhit began his story to Ater after being kidnapped by RSF fighters and later released upon the payment of a ransom imposed on his family. Mohamed, 32, left El Fasher two weeks before it fell, accompanied by eight young men and local guides helping escapees reach Tawila, 69 km west of the city. As they exited through Bab Al-Amal west of El Fasher University, rain and dust storms caused them to lose their guides and companions.

Bakhit continues: they were six young men who had never left the western side of the city before and knew nothing about Tawila, but decided to walk anyway, following the only path they knew. They ended up captured by camel herders on the road, who beat them severely and called them “flangayat.” Mohamed recounts suffering “all kinds of humiliation and brutal beatings.”

The herders then handed them over to motorcycle-riding militiamen who transported them to Umm Jalbagh in western rural El Fasher. Bakhit says they were held for three days—hung by ropes at night, tied under the scorching sun during the day, whipped until the lashes marked their bodies, and denied food and water.

On the fourth day, the kidnappers instructed them to call their families and demand payment of a ransom, threatening to kill anyone whose family failed to pay.

Bakhit sighs before adding that two of his companions were immediately killed after telling the kidnappers their families could not pay. The remaining four, realizing the consequences of refusing, decided to contact their families.

Bakhit says:
“Because the women in my family wouldn’t bear the shock of my kidnapping, I called a close friend and begged him not to tell them. I asked him to manage the ransom payment himself.”

He negotiated with the kidnappers to reduce the ransom from 50 million SDG, telling them he didn’t own even a quarter of that amount and that everything he owned was furniture inside El Fasher that his siblings could sell.

The kidnappers then transferred him from the “market prison” in Umm Jalbagh to one of their homes, placing him in a hut guarded by armed children who did not speak to the captives and tolerated no questions. After three more days, he managed to pay a reduced ransom of 5 million SDG, and the captors escorted him to a village near Tawila.

When asked about safety guarantees after paying, Bakhit said he trusted his release because he saw other kidnapped people being freed after paying.

A Growing Hub for Human Trafficking

Umm Jalbagh lies about 37 km west of El Fasher and is one of the Arab “damrat” communities supporting the RSF since the war began in April. Its name became widely known after repeated reports of civilians fleeing El Fasher being kidnapped as the RSF tightened its siege on the city.

Camel-herding militias (abbala), who support the RSF, capture escapees, divide them among themselves, and transport them to Umm Jalbagh or Khor Kholqi, south-west of the city near Zamzam IDP camp.

According to information obtained by Ater, there is a known agreement between RSF-affiliated kidnappers to leave released captives in farms near Tawila. Anyone found before reaching that “safe zone” risks being kidnapped again.

Ransom as a System

Ibn Al-Tahir Oshur, a 67-year-old man, told Ater how his injured father was captured by RSF fighters while fleeing after the city’s fall. They demanded a ransom near Tawila, threatening to leave him to die from his wounds if unpaid. After five days of no contact, a relative finally told the family he was found alive and had paid 2 million SDG, and was receiving treatment.

Another case is Mohamed Mendi, 33, who disappeared during the fall of El Fasher. His sister told Ater the family lost contact with him until he called ten days later using an RSF fighter’s phone, demanding a ransom or he’d be executed.

At the same time, another brother was kidnapped by a different group demanding 8 million SDG. The extended family raised the money, and he was freed. They managed to collect the 5 million SDG for Mohamed, but his original captors had already left Darfur for Kordofan, handing him to another group. The family lost contact again, and his fate remains unknown.

Mass Kidnapping After the Battle of El Fasher

On October 26, El Fasher saw its final battle. RSF forces launched a coordinated assault with armored vehicles and drones, overwhelming the 6th Infantry Division by 11 AM. Soldiers withdrew toward the artillery command and El Fasher University, but as RSF pressure intensified, many fled—some in civilian clothes, others in military vehicles. Many were ambushed; some hid in the mountains of “Wana,” which RSF besieged for five nights.

Numerous soldiers and officers were captured, some taken to RSF prisons at the El Fasher bus terminal, others to Dagarsi prison in Nyala.

1st Lieutenant Siddiq Omar told Ater he fled with six soldiers on October 26 through the northern gate. They agreed to deny their ranks and claim to be civilians.

They fell into the hands of Abu Lulu—one of the RSF’s most notorious commanders. Siddiq appeared in a circulated RSF video documenting Abu Lulu executing escapees. One soldier admitted Siddiq was an officer. Abu Lulu separated him from the civilians, executed the civilians, and transported Siddiq to Garni, then to El Fasher bus terminal.

There, he negotiated for his release and after days they settled on 8 million SDG plus a transport fee to Mellit, 65 km north. From Mellit to Hamra, he had to pay large sums to hitch rides on goods trucks bound for Kordofan.

Another officer, Ammar Al-Hajj, explained that officers rely on their graduating class to pool ransom funds. One of his colleagues was captured, and his captors demanded 100 million SDG. Ammar’s class gathered 50 million SDG, which secured his release. The military institution itself does not pay ransom—soldiers rely on collective solidarity.

Escalating Ransom Prices

Ransom amounts vary by captor and by victim. RSF and allied militias typically demand:

• 20 million – 100 million SDG for army officers and soldiers

• Over 40 million SDG has been paid by several officers

Most kidnappers are abbala or motorcycle-mounted militias who do not keep captives in official RSF prisons. Kidnappings occur outside the northern and north-western gates of El Fasher, and victims are taken to Khor Kholqi or Umm Jalbagh.

Ransom prices rise over time:

• On the first day after the city fell, ransom ranged from 1 million to 10 million SDG

• Days later, amounts reached up to 100 million SDG

Payment is always made through Bankak app, and communication occurs via WhatsApp or Facebook.

The “Drop-Off Zone”

There is a designated “release area” in farms east of Tawila. Motorcycle militiamen escort captives there after ransom is paid. If a freed hostage is not dropped at the exact location known among kidnappers, they risk being kidnapped again and forced to pay a second ransom.