Nine Egyptian citizens, held captive by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for 19 months, have finally been released and reunited with their families in Egypt.
The freed captives, who had been working in Khartoum importing household goods and small electric appliances, were welcomed back home with celebrations in the village of Abo Shanab, 110 km southwest of Cairo.
The Egyptians were falsely accused of spying for the Egyptian intelligence service and endured a harrowing experience, being transferred between five different prisons.
“Every few months, they would tell us they are releasing us, but then put a blindfold on our heads and send us to another prison,” said Ahmed Aziz Masry, one of the freed captives.
The release comes amid an ongoing conflict in Sudan between the army and the RSF, which has resulted in a humanitarian disaster, mass displacement, and widespread hunger.
A recent UN report found evidence of arbitrary detention, torture, and ill-treatment of detainees by both the RSF and the Sudanese army.
The conflict has also drawn in multiple foreign powers, with the RSF accusing Egypt of aiding the army and the army accusing the United Arab Emirates of arming the RSF.
The situation remains volatile, with the Sudanese army advancing in Khartoum.
