Khartoum: Survivors and aid workers in Sudan say that a powerful paramilitary force is detaining civilians in Darfur and demanding money from their families in exchange for release. The reports focus on areas around al Fashir in North Darfur, a city that was captured by the Rapid Support Forces after months of fighting.

Witnesses told Reuters that hundreds of people are believed to be held in makeshift detention sites created in former hospitals university buildings and even abandoned homes. Some survivors said they were beaten and threatened while being told to call relatives to send ransom payments. The reported payments range from the equivalent of about 1400 dollars to more than 17000 dollars which is far beyond what most families in the region can afford.

The Rapid Support Forces

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