Ezzeldin Hassan Musa, shaken, bruised, and stripped of his belongings, recounts the brutality allegedly perpetrated by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following their seizure of el-Fasher city in the Darfur region.
He alleges that RSF fighters tortured and murdered men attempting to escape the besieged city.
Now in the relative safety of Tawila, Ezzeldin is one of thousands who have fled the “horrific” violence, as described by the UN, finding refuge on a mat beneath a gazebo.
On Wednesday, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, leader of the RSF, acknowledged “violations” in el-Fasher and pledged an investigation. The following day, a senior UN official reported that the RSF had announced the arrest of several suspects.
Located approximately 80km (50 miles) from el-Fasher, Tawila serves as a sanctuary for those fortunate enough to evade the RSF.
“We left el-Fasher four days ago. The suffering we encountered on the journey was unimaginable,” Ezzeldin recounted.
“We were divided into groups and subjected to beatings. The scenes were incredibly brutal. We witnessed murders and beatings firsthand. It was truly horrifying.”
“I myself was struck on the head, back, and legs. They beat me with sticks. Their intent was to execute us all. However, when the opportunity arose, we fled, while others ahead of us were detained.”
Ezzeldin joined a group of escapees who sought shelter in a building, moving under the cover of darkness and at times crawling on the ground to remain concealed.
“Our possessions were stolen,” he stated. “Phones, clothes – everything. Even my shoes were taken. We were left with nothing.”
“We went without food for three days as we walked. By God’s grace, we made it through.”
Sources in Tawila informed the BBC that men were particularly vulnerable to scrutiny by the RSF, who targeted anyone suspected of being a soldier.
Ezzeldin is among an estimated 5,000 people who have arrived in Tawila since the fall of el-Fasher on Sunday.
Many have made the entire journey on foot, enduring three to four days of travel to escape the violence.
A freelance journalist working for the BBC in Tawila has conducted some of the first interviews with those who made the perilous journey.
Nearby, Ahmed Ismail Ibrahim lies with his body bandaged in several places.
He said that he was injured in the eye by an artillery strike and left the city on Sunday after receiving hospital treatment.
He and six other men were stopped by RSF fighters.
“They killed four of them in front of us. Beat them and killed them,” he said, adding that he was shot three times.
Ahmed described how the fighters demanded to see the phones of the three who were left alive and went through them, searching their messages.
One fighter, he said, finally told them: “OK, get up and go.” They fled into the scrub.
“My brothers,” he added, “they didn’t leave me behind.
“We walked for about 10 minutes, then rested for 10 minutes, and we continued until we found peace now.”
In the adjacent tent at the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) clinic, Yusra Ibrahim Mohamed described her decision to flee after her husband, a soldier with the Sudanese army, was killed.
“My husband was in the artillery,” she recounted. “He was returning home and was killed during the attacks.
“We remained patient. Then the clashes and attacks continued. We managed to escape.
“We left three days ago,” she said, “moving in different directions from the artillery areas. The people guiding us didn’t know what was happening.
“If someone resisted, they were beaten or robbed. They would take everything you had. People could even be executed. I saw dead bodies in the streets.”
Alfadil Dukhan, who works at the MSF clinic, stated that he and his colleagues have been providing emergency care to the new arrivals, with an estimated 500 in need of immediate medical attention.
“Most of the new arrivals are elders and women or children,” the medic said.
“The wounded are suffering, and some of them already have amputations.
“So they are really suffering a lot. And we are trying to just give them some support and some medical care.”
Those arriving this week in Tawila join hundreds of thousands there who fled previous rounds of violence in el-Fasher.
Before its seizure by the RSF on Sunday, the city had been besieged for 18 months.
Those trapped inside were bombarded by a barrage of deadly artillery and air strikes as the army and the paramilitaries battled for el-Fasher.
And they were plunged into a severe hunger crisis by an RSF blockade of supplies and aid.
Hundreds of thousands were displaced in April when the RSF seized control of the Zamzam camp close to the city, at the time one of the main sites housing people forced to flee fighting elsewhere.
Some experts have expressed concern at the relatively low numbers arriving at places like Tawila now.
“This is actually a point of worry for us,” says Caroline Bouvoir, who works with refugees in neighbouring Chad for the aid agency Solidarités International
“In the past few days we have about 5,000 people who have arrived, which considering we believe there were about a quarter of a million people still in the city, that is obviously not that many,” she says.
“We see the conditions that those who have arrived are in. They are highly malnourished, highly dehydrated, or sick or injured, and they are clearly traumatised with what they have seen either in the city or on the road.
“We believe that many people are stuck currently in different locations between Tawila and el-Fasher, and unable to move forward – either because of their physical condition or because of the insecurity on the road, where militias are unfortunately attacking people who are trying to find safe haven.”
For Ezzeldin, the relief of reaching safety is overshadowed by concerns for those still making the arduous journey.
“My plea is for the public roads to be secured for citizens,” he urged, “or for humanitarian aid to be delivered to the streets.
“People are in a critical condition – unable to move, speak, or seek assistance.
“Aid must reach them, as many are missing and suffering.”
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