In excess of 60,000 Flee Sudanese City In the wake of Seizure by Rapid Support Forces Militia, UN Reports
According to the UN refugee agency, more than 60,000 individuals have fled the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the militia RSF over the weekend.
There have been multiple executions and crimes against humanity as paramilitary forces entered the city after an extended encirclement marked by starvation and sustained attacks.
The exodus of those running from the violence towards the town of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the recent days, according to UNHCR spokesperson.
Survivors were narrating horrendous tales of violence, including sexual violence, and the agency was struggling to find enough shelter and nourishment for them.
Each child was affected by undernourishment, she commented.
It is estimated that in excess of 150,000 people are still unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the military's remaining bastion in the western region of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has denied broad accusations that the executions in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and follow a pattern of the Arab militia groups targeting non-Arab populations.
Yet the RSF has arrested one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of summary executions.
The force distributed footage revealing the fighter's apprehension subsequent to identification that he was behind the death of numerous civilians in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Video sharing service has acknowledged that it has suspended the channel linked to Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had controlled the account in his name.
Sudan was thrown into a domestic fighting in April 2023 when a vicious contest for control broke out between its army and the RSF.
This has led to a starvation emergency and allegations of mass killing in the western Darfur region.
Over 150,000 people have been killed in the fighting around the country, and roughly 12 million have left their residences in what the UN has described as the most extensive humanitarian emergency.
The seizure of el-Fasher reinforces the geographic split in the country, with the RSF now in dominance of western Sudan and significant areas of adjacent Kordofan to the south, and the military controlling the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the coastal region.
The two warring rivals had been collaborators - gaining control together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but split over an globally supported plan to advance to civilian leadership.
