In excess of 60,000 Flee Sudanese City After Takeover by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, United Nations Says
Per the UN refugee agency, in excess of 60,000 civilians have fled the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces during the weekend.
Accounts suggest multiple executions and crimes against humanity as RSF fighters stormed the city following an year-and-a-half siege marked by famine and intense shelling.
The movement of those running from the conflict towards the town of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had grown in the recent days, according to UNHCR representative.
Survivors were narrating shocking accounts of abuses, including sexual violence, and the agency was finding it difficult to find enough shelter and food for them.
Each child was suffering from nutritional deficiencies, she noted.
It is estimated that over 150,000 people are presently unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the military's remaining bastion in the western region of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has disputed widespread accusations that the killings in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and resemble a trend of the Arab paramilitaries targeting non-Arab communities.
Nevertheless the RSF has arrested one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with extrajudicial killings.
The organization released footage showing the militiaman's apprehension following confirmation that he was involved in the killing of several non-combatants close to el-Fasher.
Digital platform has confirmed that it has banned the channel associated with Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had managed the profile in his name.
Sudan was thrown into a internal conflict in April 2023 after a intense power struggle broke out between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.
This has resulted in a starvation emergency and allegations of genocide in the Darfur area.
In excess of 150,000 people have been killed in the fighting throughout the country, and about 12 million have left their dwellings in what the UN has termed the world's largest humanitarian crisis.
The seizure of el-Fasher strengthens the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in dominance of Sudan's west and much of neighbouring Kordofan to the southern area, and the military controlling the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the Red Sea.
The competing factions had been partners - gaining control together in a coup in 2021 - but disagreed over an globally supported proposal to move towards civilian leadership.