"Montaha Omer Mustafa, 18, was among many people who managed to get out of el-Fasher before the city's seizure by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, but only after paying for passage and going days on foot with little water, moving through villages and scrubland. As fighting closed in on the last big city held by the government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in North Darfur state, tens of thousands of residents fled westwards, abandoning homes, possessions, and even family members."
"El-Fasher almost emptied in a matter of days in October. Armed men stopped us and stole everything of value, gold, cash and food, Mustafa told Al Jazeera from the Tawila refugee camp, some 50km (30 miles) west of el-Fasher. Somewhere along the road amid thirst, fear and the rush of thousands moving at once her brother disappeared. They searched, then had to keep going. There was no choice, she said, and she remains unsure of his fate."
"What the fleeing people left behind has become a ghost town, according to medical charity Doctors Without Borders (also known by its French acronym MSF), whose teams visited the city in January. MSF said it fears that a majority of the civilians who were still alive when the RSF seized the city were killed or displaced. More than 120,000 people fled the RSF's capture of el-Fasher approximately 75 percent of whom were already internally displaced people (IDPs) seeking refuge there."
Displaced families who fled el-Fasher face dire conditions with no blankets, food shortages, and few medical supplies. Many residents escaped before the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the city after paying for passage and walking days on foot with little water through villages and scrubland. As fighting closed in on the last large government-held city in North Darfur, tens of thousands fled westwards, abandoning homes, possessions, and family members. Armed men looted people on the roads, and some people disappeared during the chaotic movement. The Tawila refugee camp received a sudden influx that pushed scarce resources to the brink. More than 120,000 people fled the RSF capture; between 70,000 and 100,000 remain trapped in el-Fasher.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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