More than 60,000 Flee Sudanese City Following Takeover by Rapid Support Forces Militia, United Nations Reports
Per the United Nations refugee organization, more than 60,000 individuals have left the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was captured by the militia Rapid Support Forces during the weekend.
There have been mass executions and atrocities as RSF fighters stormed the city after an 18-month blockade marked by starvation and heavy bombardment.
The flow of those running from the violence towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had grown in the recent days, per UNHCR representative.
Refugees were describing shocking accounts of abuses, including rape, and the humanitarian group was struggling to secure enough accommodation and nourishment for them.
Each child was suffering from undernourishment, she added.
Estimates suggest that more than 150,000 people are presently unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the army's last bastion in the western region of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has disputed broad allegations that the killings in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and follow a practice of the Arab paramilitaries targeting ethnic minorities.
However the RSF has arrested one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of summary executions.
The force released recordings revealing the member's arrest following confirmation that he was involved in the execution of multiple civilians near el-Fasher.
Video sharing service has confirmed that it has removed the account connected to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had managed the profile in his name.
Sudan was thrown into a civil war in April 2023 after a brutal contest for control erupted between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.
This has caused a famine and allegations of genocide in the Darfur area.
In excess of 150,000 persons have been killed in the conflict across the country, and approximately 12 million have fled their residences in what the United Nations has termed the world's largest humanitarian emergency.
The takeover of el-Fasher strengthens the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in control of Sudan's west and much of neighbouring Kordofan to the southern area, and the army occupying the main city, Khartoum, the center and east along the coastal region.
The competing factions had been collaborators - gaining control together in a coup in 2021 - but disagreed over an globally supported initiative to transition to civilian rule.