Three weeks ago, Hala, a Sudanese woman who used a different name for security reasons, left the Tawila refugee camp and returned to el-Fasher in a small vehicle operated by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group that seized the North Darfur capital a year ago, in an account given to the campaign group Avaaz and shared with Middle East Eye.

At the entrance to the city, about 60km east of Tawila, RSF fighters approached her and asked where she was going, how many days she planned to stay and where the family home was located. “They agreed and issued me an entry permit for el-Fasher. It was a piece of paper with my name, their signature, and the date,” she said. According to Hala, dealing with the fighters is very difficult: they can enter your house, threaten to rape you if you refuse to go with them, beat you and, if you argue, put you in prison. For women, traveling to el-Fasher is extremely dangerous. The day after she returned, she was threatened with abusive language in the street, with no physical assault because other civilians were nearby.