In excess of 60,000 Escape Sudanese City Following Seizure by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, UN Says
Per the UN refugee agency, over 60,000 individuals have fled the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was captured by the militia Rapid Support Forces over the weekend.
There have been mass executions and crimes against humanity as RSF fighters stormed the city after an extended blockade marked by famine and intense shelling.
The flow of those running from the fighting towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had grown in the last several days, according to UNHCR representative.
Survivors were telling terrible stories of abuses, such as rape, and the organization was struggling to locate enough shelter and food for them.
Each child was affected by malnutrition, she commented.
Calculations indicate that in excess of 150,000 people are presently trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the military's final fortress in the western part of Darfur.
The RSF has denied broad accusations that the deaths in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and resemble a practice of the Arab militia groups attacking ethnic minorities.
However the RSF has arrested one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of on-the-spot executions.
The force shared footage showing the militiaman's apprehension following verification that he was responsible for the killing of multiple non-combatants near el-Fasher.
Digital platform has confirmed that it has suspended the account associated with Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had operated the profile in his identity.
Sudan was plunged into a civil war in April 2023 following a intense power struggle broke out between its military and the RSF.
This has caused a starvation emergency and accusations of ethnic cleansing in the Darfur area.
In excess of 150,000 individuals have been killed in the fighting throughout the country, and about 12 million have fled their dwellings in what the UN has termed the most extensive humanitarian crisis.
The takeover of el-Fasher solidifies the territorial division in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in control of the western region and significant areas of bordering Kordofan to the south, and the army occupying the main city, Khartoum, the center and east along the Red Sea.
The competing factions had been collaborators - gaining control together in a coup in 2021 - but disagreed over an globally supported initiative to advance to civilian rule.