Over 60,000 Run from Sudan's City Following Seizure by Rapid Support Forces Militia, United Nations Says
Per the UN refugee agency, over 60,000 people have fled the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was captured by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces recently.
There have been multiple executions and human rights violations as RSF fighters entered the city following an 18-month siege featuring famine and heavy bombardment.
The exodus of those fleeing the violence towards the community of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had increased in the past few days, per United Nations refugee agency representative.
Survivors were telling shocking stories of atrocities, including rape, and the humanitarian group was finding it difficult to locate enough shelter and supplies for them.
Every child was affected by malnutrition, she added.
It is estimated that in excess of 150,000 residents are still stranded 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 killings in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and mirror a pattern of the Arab paramilitaries targeting ethnic minorities.
Nevertheless the RSF has arrested one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with summary executions.
The organization released video depicting the fighter's arrest after identification that he was behind the killing of multiple civilians in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Social media platform has acknowledged that it has suspended the channel associated with Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had managed the profile in his identity.
Sudan was entered a domestic fighting in April 2023 when a vicious contest for control began between its army and the RSF.
It has caused a famine and accusations of genocide in the Darfur area.
In excess of 150,000 individuals have lost their lives in the fighting across the country, and about 12 million have abandoned their homes in what the UN has called the world's largest humanitarian emergency.
The seizure of el-Fasher reinforces the regional separation in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces 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 partners - gaining control together in a coup in 2021 - but split over an internationally backed initiative to transition to civilian leadership.