Over 60,000 Run from Sudanese City After Capture by RSF Paramilitary Group, United Nations States
Per the United Nations refugee organization, in excess of 60,000 people have escaped the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was seized by the militia RSF over the weekend.
Accounts suggest mass executions and atrocities as militia members entered the city following an 18-month blockade marked by famine and intense shelling.
The exodus of those fleeing the violence towards the community of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the recent days, per United Nations refugee agency representative.
Survivors were telling horrendous tales of violence, featuring sexual violence, and the organization was struggling to locate sufficient housing and food for them.
All children was affected by malnutrition, she commented.
It is estimated that over 150,000 individuals are currently trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's final bastion in the western region of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has rejected broad allegations that the killings in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and resemble a practice of the Arab fighters targeting non-Arab populations.
Yet the paramilitary group has detained one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been implicated in summary executions.
The group released recordings revealing the fighter's apprehension subsequent to confirmation that he was behind the killing of numerous unarmed men in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Social media platform has confirmed that it has banned the profile connected to Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had operated the account in his name.
Sudan was plunged into a internal conflict in April 2023 following a brutal struggle for power erupted between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.
This has resulted in a starvation emergency and accusations of mass killing in the western Sudan.
In excess of 150,000 individuals have been killed in the war across the country, and about 12 million have abandoned their dwellings in what the United Nations has termed the most extensive humanitarian disaster.
The takeover of el-Fasher strengthens the geographic split in the country, with the RSF now in dominance of western Sudan and significant areas of bordering Kordofan to the southern area, and the army holding the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the Red Sea.
The opposing sides had been allies - gaining control together in a takeover in 2021 - but split over an foreign-endorsed initiative to transition to civilian leadership.