Over 60,000 Run from Sudan's City After Capture by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, UN Reports
Per the UN refugee agency, over 60,000 individuals have left the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was seized by the militia Rapid Support Forces during the weekend.
There have been mass executions and crimes against humanity as militia members took control of the city following an extended blockade characterized by famine and intense shelling.
The movement of those running from the fighting towards the town 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.
Refugees were narrating terrible tales of violence, such as sexual violence, and the agency was having trouble to secure enough accommodation and supplies for them.
Every child was experiencing undernourishment, she commented.
Estimates suggest that over 150,000 people are still unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the military's final fortress in the western part of Darfur.
The RSF has denied extensive accusations that the deaths in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and resemble a pattern of the Arab fighters attacking non-Arab communities.
Yet the paramilitary group has arrested one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with summary executions.
The force distributed video revealing the fighter's apprehension after identification that he was responsible for the death of numerous unarmed men near el-Fasher.
Digital platform has acknowledged that it has banned the profile connected to Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had controlled the account in his identity.
Sudan was thrown into a domestic fighting in April 2023 after a intense struggle for power erupted between its military and the RSF.
It has led to a famine and allegations of mass killing in the Darfur area.
In excess of 150,000 people have died in the conflict throughout the country, and approximately 12 million have fled their residences in what the UN has called the biggest global humanitarian crisis.
The takeover of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in command of the western region and a large portion of neighbouring Kordofan to the southern area, and the military occupying the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the coastal region.
The opposing sides had been collaborators - gaining control together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but split over an globally supported initiative to move towards civilian leadership.