More than 60,000 Flee Sudan's City After Takeover by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, UN Reports
As stated by the UN refugee agency, more than 60,000 individuals have fled the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was captured by the paramilitary RSF during the weekend.
Reports indicate multiple executions and atrocities as paramilitary forces entered the city after an extended encirclement featuring starvation and sustained attacks.
The flow of those fleeing the violence towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had increased in the past few days, as stated by United Nations refugee agency spokesperson.
Survivors were narrating horrendous stories of atrocities, including sexual violence, and the humanitarian group was having trouble to locate adequate housing and supplies for them.
Each child was suffering from nutritional deficiencies, she commented.
Estimates suggest that over 150,000 residents are still trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's last stronghold in the western region of Darfur.
The RSF has denied widespread allegations that the executions in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and resemble a practice of the Arab militia groups focusing on non-Arab populations.
Yet the paramilitary group has detained one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of extrajudicial killings.
The group shared recordings depicting the member's detention after identification that he was involved in the killing of multiple unarmed men in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Social media platform has verified that it has suspended the profile linked to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had operated the account in his identity.
Sudan was entered a civil war in April 2023 when a brutal contest for control began between its army and the RSF.
The conflict has resulted in a food crisis and accusations of ethnic cleansing in the Darfur area.
Over 150,000 individuals have lost their lives in the fighting across the country, and about 12 million have left their homes in what the UN has termed the world's largest humanitarian disaster.
The takeover of el-Fasher solidifies the geographic split in the country, with the RSF now in command of Sudan's west and a large portion of adjacent Kordofan to the south, and the military holding the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the coastal region.
The opposing sides had been partners - taking over together in a takeover in 2021 - but split over an foreign-endorsed plan to transition to democratic governance.