Nine Egyptians, who had been held captive for 19 months by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, returned to Egypt on Thursday morning to a warm welcome as the Sudanese army made advances in Khartoum.
“Praise be to God. A new era begins for us today. Our lives start anew from this moment,” stated Ahmed Aziz Masry, surrounded by a crowd of well-wishers celebrating his return to the village of Abo Shanab.
The streets of the village, located 110 km (70 miles) southwest of Cairo and home to seven of the released captives, were filled with residents celebrating their return.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in conflict following clashes between the army and the RSF, stemming from disputes over a planned transition to civilian governance. This conflict has led to a humanitarian crisis characterized by mass displacement and severe food shortages.
A UN report released on Thursday highlighted “a widespread pattern of arbitrary detention, torture, and ill-treatment of detainees” by both the RSF and the Sudanese army.
The released Egyptians had been in Khartoum for years, engaged in the importation of household goods and small electrical appliances.
One of the captives, Emad Moawad, recounted to Reuters that he had a plane ticket to return to Egypt when the fighting erupted, but the airport was closed. “Sixty-five days later, the RSF stormed our home and held us captive for over 19 months.”
Masry mentioned that the RSF had falsely accused them of espionage for the Egyptian intelligence service.
“Every few months, they would claim they were releasing us, only to blindfold us and transfer us to another prison,” Masry explained. At their fifth prison, the warden called Masry to his office for a phone call, during which he was informed that the situation had been resolved.
“Several weeks ago, they transported us to the last location controlled by the RSF, from where we were handed over to the Sudanese Army, who then took us to the Egyptian embassy and subsequently to Cairo.”
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The ongoing conflict has attracted the involvement of various foreign powers, with the RSF accusing Egypt of supporting the army, while the army claims that the United Arab Emirates is supplying arms to the RSF.
