Over 60,000 Escape Sudanese City In the wake of Capture by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, United Nations Says
Per the UN refugee agency, more than 60,000 people have left the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the militia RSF during the weekend.
Accounts suggest summary killings and human rights violations as RSF fighters took control of the city after an 18-month blockade marked by famine and sustained attacks.
The exodus of those fleeing the conflict towards the community of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had grown in the recent days, as stated by United Nations refugee agency spokesperson.
Survivors were describing terrible tales of abuses, featuring sexual violence, and the agency was struggling to find enough shelter and food for them.
Every child was experiencing undernourishment, she added.
It is estimated that in excess of 150,000 residents are currently trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's last bastion in the western region of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has denied widespread accusations that the executions in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and resemble a pattern of the Arab paramilitaries targeting non-Arab communities.
Nevertheless the paramilitary group has arrested one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been implicated in on-the-spot executions.
The organization shared recordings depicting the member's arrest after confirmation that he was involved in the death of several civilians near el-Fasher.
Social media platform has acknowledged that it has banned the profile associated with Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had operated the profile in his identity.
Sudan was entered a civil war in April 2023 when a intense power struggle erupted between its army and the Rapid Support Forces.
It has caused a starvation emergency and accusations of ethnic cleansing in the western Darfur region.
In excess of 150,000 individuals have lost their lives in the conflict across the country, and roughly 12 million have left their dwellings in what the United Nations has termed the world's largest humanitarian disaster.
The takeover of el-Fasher reinforces the territorial division in the country, with the RSF now in dominance of western Sudan and much of adjacent Kordofan to the southern area, and the army occupying the main city, Khartoum, the center and east along the Red Sea.
The competing factions had been partners - taking over together in a takeover in 2021 - but disagreed over an internationally backed proposal to move towards democratic governance.
