Over 60,000 Escape Sudanese City After Capture by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, UN States
Per the UNHCR, over 60,000 people have escaped the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was seized by the militia RSF recently.
Reports indicate mass executions and human rights violations as RSF fighters stormed the city after an year-and-a-half encirclement marked by famine and intense shelling.
The exodus of those escaping the conflict towards the community of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the last several days, according to United Nations refugee agency spokesperson.
They were narrating shocking tales of atrocities, such as rape, and the agency was struggling to find sufficient shelter and food for them.
All children was affected by nutritional deficiencies, she added.
It is estimated that over 150,000 people are still stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the military's final fortress in the western region of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has denied extensive accusations that the executions in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and follow a pattern of the Arab paramilitaries focusing on ethnic minorities.
Nevertheless the paramilitary group has arrested one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with summary executions.
The group shared recordings revealing the member's apprehension following verification that he was involved in the death of several civilians in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Social media platform has acknowledged that it has removed the account connected to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had controlled the account in his identity.
Sudan was plunged into a domestic fighting in April 2023 following a intense struggle for power erupted between its army and the Rapid Support Forces.
The conflict has caused a famine and allegations of ethnic cleansing in the western Sudan.
Over 150,000 persons have lost their lives in the fighting across the country, and about 12 million have fled their dwellings in what the UN has termed the world's largest humanitarian crisis.
The takeover of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in control of western Sudan and significant areas of adjacent Kordofan to the southern area, and the army controlling the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the coastal region.
The competing factions had been partners - taking over together in a takeover in 2021 - but disagreed over an internationally backed plan to advance to civilian rule.
