Sudan doctors say RSF holding over 6,500 detainees in West Darfur
RSF fighters announcing they destructed a force of the Sudanese army in El-Geneina on April 22, 2023
October 15, 2026 (EL GENEINA) – Doctors in Sudan said on Thursday that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are holding more than 6,500 military personnel and civilians in the city of El Geneina in West Darfur.
The paramilitary RSF has controlled all of West Darfur since November 2023.
During battles against the Sudanese army in El Geneina, the RSF and allied Arab militias have been accused of committing war crimes, ethnic cleansing and genocide against thousands of civilians, primarily from the African-descent Masalit ethnic group.
The Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement it had “obtained documented information indicating the presence of more than 6,500 military and civilian detainees in several detention sites in the city of El Geneina”.
The detainees include 709 women and about 500 children under the age of 18, the network added.
Detention sites include the former UNAMID headquarters, the base of the army’s 15th Infantry Division, and Ardamata prison.
The network reported that the majority of the female detainees were captured in El Fasher after the RSF took control of the city in October 2025. They were subsequently transferred to El Geneina.
The RSF arrested thousands of civilians, including women and children, shortly after capturing El Fasher. Some detainees were relocated to Nyala in South Darfur.
The doctors’ statement expressed concern over reports of food shortages and deteriorating health conditions inside the detention facilities.
These conditions pose severe health and humanitarian risks given the large number of detainees, the network said.
Available data indicates an increase in daily mortality rates at the facilities compared to the same period last year, requiring urgent action to verify the causes of death, the network added.
The group demanded adequate food, safe drinking water, and medical care for all detainees without discrimination.
It also urged the RSF to allow independent medical and humanitarian organizations access to the sites to assess conditions.
The network called for the disclosure of the detainees’ whereabouts and for their protection from torture and mistreatment.
It further demanded special protection for women and children, investigations into deaths in custody, and accountability for any proven violations.