Over 60,000 Escape Sudan's City After Seizure by Rapid Support Forces Militia, UN States
As stated by the UNHCR, over 60,000 people have fled the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces during the weekend.
There have been multiple executions and atrocities as RSF fighters entered the city following an year-and-a-half blockade marked by food shortages and sustained attacks.
The flow of those escaping the violence towards the community of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had increased in the last several days, as stated by United Nations refugee agency spokesperson.
They were describing terrible tales of atrocities, including rape, and the humanitarian group was finding it difficult to find adequate housing and supplies for them.
Each child was affected by undernourishment, she commented.
It is estimated that over 150,000 individuals are currently trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the military's last fortress in the western part of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has rejected widespread allegations that the deaths in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and resemble a pattern of the Arab fighters attacking non-Arab populations.
Nevertheless the paramilitary group has custodied one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with extrajudicial killings.
The group shared footage revealing the member's apprehension following confirmation that he was behind the death of numerous unarmed men in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Digital platform has acknowledged that it has suspended the profile associated with Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had managed the account in his identity.
Sudan was entered a internal conflict in April 2023 after a vicious contest for control erupted between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.
It has resulted in a food crisis and accusations of ethnic cleansing in the western Darfur region.
Over 150,000 people have been killed in the war across the country, and about 12 million have abandoned their homes in what the United Nations has described as the most extensive humanitarian emergency.
The seizure of el-Fasher reinforces the regional separation in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in command of Sudan's west and much of bordering Kordofan to the south, and the military controlling the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the Red Sea.
The competing factions had been partners - gaining control together in a coup in 2021 - but fell out over an foreign-endorsed plan to move towards democratic governance.