In excess of 60,000 Run from Sudanese City After Capture by RSF Paramilitary Group, UN Says
As stated by the UN refugee agency, over 60,000 people have fled the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was captured by the militia RSF over the weekend.
Reports indicate multiple executions and crimes against humanity as militia members took control of the city following an extended blockade featuring famine and heavy bombardment.
The flow of those escaping the fighting towards the town of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had increased in the past few days, as stated by United Nations refugee agency spokesperson.
Survivors were telling horrendous accounts of atrocities, including sexual violence, and the agency was struggling to find sufficient accommodation and food for them.
All children was suffering from malnutrition, she added.
It is estimated that in excess of 150,000 residents are presently trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the military's final bastion in the western region of Darfur.
The RSF has rejected broad claims that the executions in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and mirror a pattern of the Arab paramilitaries attacking non-Arab populations.
Nevertheless the paramilitary group has arrested one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of on-the-spot executions.
The force shared video showing the militiaman's apprehension following identification that he was behind the killing of numerous non-combatants close to el-Fasher.
Social media platform has acknowledged that it has removed the account connected to Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had managed the account in his identity.
Sudan was entered a civil war in April 2023 following a brutal struggle for power erupted between its military and the RSF.
The conflict has led to a famine and allegations of mass killing in the western Darfur region.
In excess of 150,000 people have died in the fighting throughout the country, and approximately 12 million have left their residences in what the UN has called the biggest global humanitarian emergency.
The takeover of el-Fasher strengthens the territorial division in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in dominance of Sudan's west and much of bordering Kordofan to the southern area, and the army controlling the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the coastal region.
The competing factions had been collaborators - gaining control together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but disagreed over an foreign-endorsed proposal to move towards democratic governance.