Over 60,000 Escape Sudanese City Following Capture by Rapid Support Forces Militia, UN Says
As stated by the United Nations refugee organization, over 60,000 individuals have fled the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the paramilitary RSF during the weekend.
Accounts suggest multiple executions and human rights violations as paramilitary forces entered the city after an extended encirclement characterized by famine and heavy bombardment.
The flow of those fleeing the conflict towards the town of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had increased in the recent days, as stated by UNHCR spokesperson.
Survivors were telling terrible stories of abuses, featuring sexual violence, and the agency was finding it difficult to find adequate housing and food for them.
All children was experiencing undernourishment, she added.
It is estimated that more than 150,000 individuals are currently trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the military's last bastion in the western part of Darfur.
The RSF has rejected widespread allegations that the executions in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and resemble a trend of the Arab fighters focusing on non-Arab populations.
However the RSF has custodied one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with on-the-spot executions.
The organization shared footage depicting the fighter's arrest subsequent to verification that he was behind the execution of numerous non-combatants in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Video sharing service has verified that it has removed the channel connected to Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had operated the profile in his name.
Sudan was plunged into a civil war in April 2023 after a intense power struggle broke out between its army and the Rapid Support Forces.
The conflict has caused a food crisis and claims of mass killing in the western Darfur region.
In excess of 150,000 persons have lost their lives in the war around the country, and about 12 million have abandoned their homes in what the United Nations has termed the biggest global humanitarian emergency.
The takeover of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in command of Sudan's west and significant areas of bordering Kordofan to the south, and the army occupying the capital, Khartoum, the center and east along the Red Sea.
The competing factions had been partners - gaining control together in a takeover in 2021 - but fell out over an internationally backed proposal to move towards civilian rule.