Doctor recounts captivity, escape and lasting distress after El Fasher’s fall

A doctor who fled El Fasher, Sudan, described beatings, captivity and continuing fear after escaping the country in updated testimony published by UN OCHA on 26 October 2026. Identified as Dr. Mohamed, a name changed to protect his identity, he said reaching physical safety had not ended his distress.

OCHA published his account against the backdrop of an attack on Saudi Hospital in El Fasher in October 2025 that the agency said killed hundreds of people. The testimony traces his departure from the city, detention outside it and eventual journey across an unnamed border out of Sudan.

Dr. Mohamed said fighting intensified overnight into 26 October 2025, prompting his group to decide to leave between 6 am and 7 am. After about 25 minutes on foot, they were stopped, searched, beaten and humiliated before crossing a trench surrounding El Fasher, he recalled.

Beyond the trench, he estimated that more than 10,000 people had gathered at a detention location. He described further beatings and said his group received neither food nor water. They remained there until dawn before being taken to Garni, a village northwest of El Fasher, according to his account.

He said he lost track of how many days he spent in captivity. After escaping, he contacted his family and continued moving between villages and neighbourhoods, travelling on foot and by donkey. During that journey, he said, he saw dozens of decomposing bodies before reaching a border area and leaving Sudan.

Crossing the border did not remove his fear of being captured again, he said, describing psychological and spiritual distress that persisted in safety. He said the suffering associated with El Fasher’s fall followed survivors into displacement camps and the cities and countries where they sought refuge.

Dr. Mohamed called for care, support and solidarity for medical and humanitarian staff who had remained in El Fasher, alongside opportunities to serve their communities again. He expressed hope that families could return, education could resume and hospitals and other services could be rebuilt. He also hoped to resume his own studies, specialization and humanitarian work.

OCHA said its Sudan Humanitarian Fund supports people in El Fasher and elsewhere in North Darfur through humanitarian partners. Since January 2026, the fund had allocated nearly $24 million for assistance in El Fasher locality, reaching more than 371,000 people, the agency reported. Across North Darfur State, it reported allocations exceeding $130 million in 2026 for life-saving assistance.