Over 60,000 Flee Sudanese City Following Capture by RSF Paramilitary Group, UN Reports
As stated by the UNHCR, in excess of 60,000 people have fled the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces over the weekend.
Accounts suggest summary killings and atrocities as militia members stormed the city after an 18-month blockade characterized by famine and heavy bombardment.
The flow of those escaping the violence towards the community of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had grown in the recent days, according to United Nations refugee agency spokesperson.
They were describing horrendous stories of abuses, including rape, and the agency was finding it difficult to secure sufficient housing and nourishment for them.
Every child was suffering from nutritional deficiencies, she added.
It is estimated that in excess of 150,000 residents are still trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's final stronghold in the western region of Darfur.
The RSF has denied broad claims that the executions in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and resemble a pattern of the Arab paramilitaries focusing on non-Arab communities.
Nevertheless the RSF has custodied one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of on-the-spot executions.
The group distributed video showing the militiaman's apprehension after verification that he was behind the killing of numerous non-combatants close to el-Fasher.
Social media platform has verified that it has banned the channel connected to Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had managed the profile in his identity.
Sudan was entered a domestic fighting in April 2023 when a vicious power struggle broke out between its army and the RSF.
This has led to a famine and claims of ethnic cleansing in the western Sudan.
In excess of 150,000 people have been killed in the fighting throughout the country, and about 12 million have fled their residences in what the UN has described as the biggest global humanitarian emergency.
The takeover of el-Fasher strengthens the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in command of the western region and significant areas of neighbouring Kordofan to the south, and the army controlling the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the Red Sea.
The two warring rivals had been partners - gaining control together in a coup in 2021 - but disagreed over an internationally backed initiative to advance to civilian leadership.
