The families forced to pay ransoms to free loved ones in Sudan's el-Fasher

"Since the RSF captured the army's last stronghold in the sprawling western region of Darfur, the group has carried out a series of atrocities, including execution, rape and mass looting, according to survivors and local monitors. The Sudan Doctors Network put the death toll from the RSF attack at 1,500 in the first few days after the city's fall, but the true number could be far higher."

"A voice told Mabrooka to wire 14,000 Sudanese pounds ($23) a hefty sum for displaced and destitute Sudanese families to a bank account, which she suspected belonged to an RSF fighter. When I got the call, I was terrified and crying the whole time, Mabrooka, 27, told Al Jazeera. I knew they would for sure torture and kill them if I didn't muster up the money."

RSF fighters stormed el-Fasher on October 26, prompting mass flight and widespread human rights abuses. Fighters abducted residents and demanded ransoms, with phone calls ordering payments such as 14,000 Sudanese pounds ($23) to suspected RSF accounts. Survivors report summary executions, rape, mass looting and targeted attacks against mainly sedentary non-Arab populations, forcing tens of thousands to flee. The Sudan Doctors Network estimated at least 1,500 deaths in the initial days after the city's fall, though the real toll may be higher. The RSF has acknowledged some crimes while denying the worst accusations and framing operations as territorial liberation.

Read at www.aljazeera.com