More than 60,000 Flee Sudanese City Following Takeover by Rapid Support Forces Militia, United Nations Says
As stated by the UNHCR, more than 60,000 people have escaped the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was captured by the militia Rapid Support Forces recently.
There have been mass executions and atrocities as RSF fighters stormed the city after an extended encirclement marked by food shortages and sustained attacks.
The exodus of those escaping the conflict towards the community of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the recent days, as stated by United Nations refugee agency representative.
Survivors were narrating terrible accounts of abuses, such as rape, and the organization was finding it difficult to find adequate shelter and nourishment for them.
All children was experiencing nutritional deficiencies, she added.
Calculations indicate that more than 150,000 residents are still trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's remaining bastion in the western region of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has disputed widespread claims that the deaths in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and mirror a trend of the Arab paramilitaries attacking non-Arab populations.
Yet the paramilitary group has custodied one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been implicated in summary executions.
The force distributed footage revealing the fighter's arrest following identification that he was responsible for the death of numerous unarmed men near el-Fasher.
Video sharing service has acknowledged that it has removed the account connected to Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had operated the account in his name.
Sudan was thrown into a domestic fighting in April 2023 after a brutal struggle for power began between its military and the RSF.
The conflict has resulted in a famine and accusations of mass killing in the Darfur area.
More than 150,000 persons have been killed in the conflict throughout the country, and roughly 12 million have fled their dwellings in what the United Nations has termed the world's largest humanitarian crisis.
The capture of el-Fasher solidifies the territorial division in the country, with the RSF now in control of Sudan's west and significant areas of neighbouring Kordofan to the southern area, and the army controlling the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the coastal region.
The competing factions had been partners - coming to power together in a takeover in 2021 - but disagreed over an internationally backed initiative to transition to civilian rule.