In excess of 60,000 Flee Sudanese City Following Capture by RSF Militia, UN States
According to the UN refugee agency, in excess of 60,000 individuals have fled the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the paramilitary RSF during the weekend.
Accounts suggest mass executions and human rights violations as RSF fighters entered the city after an year-and-a-half siege featuring food shortages and heavy bombardment.
The exodus of those fleeing the fighting towards the town of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had increased in the past few days, as stated by UNHCR representative.
They were telling shocking stories of atrocities, including rape, and the agency was having trouble to secure enough housing and nourishment for them.
All children was experiencing undernourishment, she noted.
Estimates suggest that over 150,000 residents are currently stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the army's remaining fortress in the western region of Darfur.
The RSF has rejected extensive accusations that the deaths in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and follow a practice of the Arab paramilitaries attacking non-Arab populations.
Nevertheless the paramilitary group has custodied one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with on-the-spot executions.
The organization shared recordings depicting the member's arrest subsequent to verification that he was behind the death of several unarmed men near el-Fasher.
Digital platform has confirmed that it has banned the channel linked to Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had operated the account in his identity.
Sudan was entered a domestic fighting in April 2023 following a vicious power struggle broke out between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.
It has caused a famine and allegations of mass killing in the western Darfur region.
More than 150,000 people have died in the fighting across the country, and about 12 million have abandoned their homes in what the United Nations has called the biggest global humanitarian emergency.
The takeover of el-Fasher solidifies the territorial division in the country, with the RSF now in dominance of Sudan's west and a large portion of adjacent Kordofan to the southern area, and the military controlling the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the coastal region.
The opposing sides had been collaborators - taking over together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but disagreed over an internationally backed initiative to transition to civilian leadership.
