More than 60,000 Run from Sudanese City After Seizure by RSF Militia, United Nations States
As stated by the UN refugee agency, more than 60,000 civilians have escaped the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was captured by the paramilitary RSF during the weekend.
Reports indicate mass executions and atrocities as militia members stormed the city after an extended blockade characterized by food shortages and sustained attacks.
The exodus of those fleeing the violence towards the community of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the last several days, according to UNHCR representative.
Survivors were telling terrible accounts of violence, such as sexual violence, and the organization was finding it difficult to locate enough housing and nourishment for them.
Every child was affected by undernourishment, she commented.
Estimates suggest that in excess of 150,000 individuals are currently stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the army's final bastion in the western part of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has rejected broad accusations that the killings in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and resemble a practice of the Arab militia groups focusing on non-Arab populations.
Yet the paramilitary group has arrested one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with extrajudicial killings.
The force released video revealing the militiaman's detention subsequent to identification that he was responsible for the execution of several unarmed men in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Digital platform has acknowledged that it has removed the profile linked to Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had controlled the account in his identity.
Sudan was thrown into a internal conflict in April 2023 when a brutal power struggle began between its army and the RSF.
It has resulted in a food crisis and allegations of ethnic cleansing in the Darfur area.
More than 150,000 people have been killed in the war around the country, and roughly 12 million have abandoned their residences in what the UN has termed the biggest global humanitarian emergency.
The takeover of el-Fasher solidifies the geographic split in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in dominance of Sudan's west and a large portion of bordering Kordofan to the south, and the army holding the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the Red Sea.
The competing factions had been collaborators - gaining control together in a coup in 2021 - but split over an globally supported proposal to transition to civilian rule.