More than 80,000 of the estimated 260,000 civilians in El Fasher, western Darfur, fled when the city fell to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during a violent assault on Oct. 26—the culmination of a devastating civil war that broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF. Yet the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) tells TIME that only around 7,000 of those who fled have arrived in the nearby camp in Tawila just 60 km away. The tens of thousands of others who fled remain unaccounted for and the fate of those who stayed behind in El Fasher is also unknown.[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]The U.N. and local aid agencies have relayed reports of cruel executions, in what witnesses have described as “killing fields,” and widespread sexual violence following the RSF’s capture of El Fasher. One of the most fatal massacres occurred at the Saudi Maternity Hospital, which was the last functioning hospital as the city fell under siege. World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Christian Lindmeier reported at a press briefing in Geneva that gunmen had abducted doctors and nurses from the hospital before returning to kill over 400 people—including staff and patients.Disturbing instances of mass killings within El Fasher have long been reported throughout the grueling civil war, as outlined by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday, which asserted that “such acts, if substantiated, may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute.”Those who remain in El Fasher, the people who survived the killing sprees, are now also facing a malnutrition crisis, as famine has been reported in the Sudanese cities of El Fasher and Kadugli.“Our first struggle is the merciless hunger, and the second is the constant artillery shelling. Even the glow of a cigarette can alert the drones that fly overhead. So once we finish our meals, there is nothing to do but sit in silence,” one El Fasher resident is quoted as telling the Guardian.The U.N. has reported that El Fasher has been “sealed off, with food, medicine and relief supplies blocked despite urgent appeals for access.” But there are also questions as to what has happened to those who have fled, amid fears they’ve left one violent situation only to enter into equally dangerous territory in an attempt to find safety.The U.N. notes that for “women and girls, their journey to places like Tawila is not a passage to safety, but a perilous ordeal marked by extortion, rape, and death.” Meanwhile, there are reports of women and children turning up at the aid camp in Tawila without the men of their family, only to report that their husbands were executed after they were captured by militias.“Everybody you talk to is missing family members,” NRC’s director for Sudan, Shashwat Saraf, tells TIME. “And it’s getting more difficult by the day.”Saraf discusses the dire situation on the ground in Sudan and what he has witnessed from the camp his organization is overseeing in Tawila. Much of his concern at the moment lies with the tens of thousands of people who remain unaccounted for.Only around 7,000 out of the more than 80,000 people who fled have arrived in Tawila“It’s much below our estimate of the numbers that should have arrived, given the context,” says Saraf. (The NRC confirmed to TIME on Friday that, per their latest figures, only around 7,000 people “have arrived in Tawila.”)Of the few that have arrived in what Saraf describes as a small agricultural town, many have reported being beaten and tortured by different militia groups stationed along the treacherous route between El Fasher and Tawila.“They come here completely dehydrated, disoriented. Some don’t even know their [own] names. They have to be immediately taken for medical help and given IV fluid because they’ve not had water,” says Saraf. “People recount atrocities they witnessed; people killed before their very eyes.”As for the thousands of people unaccounted for, he says it’s difficult to get an accurate picture of what has actually happened to them.Many men in El Fasher are being targeted and killed, Saraf says. “A lot of the young men, and men in general would be considered as supporters of the Sudan Armed Forces, and would actually be targeted.”“We’ve seen the warring parties using this tactic. When they recapture or capture a particular area, people who stayed behind are somehow considered as allies of the previously controlling party,” claims Saraf.Of the few men that have arrived in Tawila, many reported that they have left family members, mostly women and children, behind in areas believed to be safe outside of El Fasher.“For [those] men, they thought that it’s important for them to leave, because otherwise they would be in danger… Their [family members] are probably waiting for some kind of a transportation that could move them to safer locations, but that is not happening,” says Saraf, adding that many families remain separated and stuck in limbo.“Some don’t know where their family members are. They don’t know if they’re alive or if they are in El Fasher. We’ve come across unaccompanied children coming here [to Tawila] as young as 3 years old to 16 years old.”The harsh obstacles facing those traveling from El Fasher to humanitarian camps in Tawila or further afield Despite its relative proximity to El Fasher, the journey to Tawila has a number of challenges that have long made it difficult for civilians making the journey.“The roads are not safe, and we continue to see [people] being detained and tortured. Women and children being at risk again of abuse,” according to Saraf, who says that a number of militant groups control the area. These groups are extorting fleeing civilians for safe passage, Saraf claims. “We’ve heard of stories where people have been asked exorbitant amounts, 2.5-5 million Sudanese Pounds (around $4,000-8000) which people don’t have.”Saraf says he has recently spoken to men who have managed to escape after being detained by local militias.“I met someone who had just arrived in the camp. He was completely bruised… he had been held, tied, and beaten because he was found on the road [by militias]. He somehow managed to escape and then came all the way to Tawila.”Given the danger of travelling by the main roads, civilians “have to move through the desert, through the bushes, just to make sure that they are not spotted,” says Saraf. The unforgiving terrain of the desert brings about a whole new set of dangerous complications, such as the risk of dehydration and other health issues.Saraf says the NRC is “unsure” about how to help the people who are in the midst of making the treacherous journey out of El Fasher, as the aid channels are “not able to access these locations for now” due to the various militias.Read More: Sudan’s Crisis in the ShadowsWhat lies ahead for the civilians in and around El Fasher?In Tawila, the resources and staff are limited, so the NRC says it is focusing on what they can do, such as aiming to swiftly register new arrivals, while also ensuring that vulnerable displaced persons have access to water and that their nutritional needs are met.The camp in Tawila is already housing around half a million people, says Saraf, so expecting tens of thousands more requires planning to distribute sanitation, water, and basic educational services. But this assistance comes at a time when global aid funding is dwindling. The NRC in Sudan reports that it only has 25% of the total funding required to properly support those affected by the civil war. Other humanitarian groups have reported similar financial obstacles.“Particularly, since early this year, the global humanitarian funding space has really shrunk with the U.S. government announcing the closure of U.S. aid,” says Saraf. Over 11.7 million people have been forced to flee their homes since the start of the civil war in Sudan, according to the NRC.Looking at the civil war more broadly, the U.S. says it is working towards a peaceful solution.“The United States is actively engaged in efforts to bring about a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Sudan. We remain committed to working with our international partners, including Quad members Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, as well as others, to lead a negotiated peace process that addresses both the immediate humanitarian crisis and the longer-term political challenges,” a White House official told TIME on Nov. 4. Sudan’s RSF has since said they have agreed to a U.S.-led plan for a humanitarian cease-fire.“The Rapid Support Forces also looks forward to implementing the agreement and immediately commencing discussions on the arrangements for a cessation of hostilities and the fundamental principles guiding the political process in Sudan,” read a statement shared via Telegram on Thursday.TIME has reached out to the Sudanese army for comment.