Over 60,000 Flee Sudan's City Following Takeover by RSF Militia, United Nations Reports
As stated by the UNHCR, more than 60,000 civilians have escaped the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was captured by the militia Rapid Support Forces during the weekend.
Reports indicate mass executions and atrocities as RSF fighters entered the city following an 18-month encirclement characterized by food shortages and heavy bombardment.
The flow of those fleeing the conflict towards the town of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had grown in the past few days, per United Nations refugee agency representative.
They were telling terrible accounts of violence, including sexual violence, and the organization was having trouble to locate sufficient shelter and food for them.
Every child was affected by malnutrition, she noted.
It is estimated that in excess of 150,000 individuals are presently unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the military's last stronghold in the western region of Darfur.
The RSF has denied extensive allegations that the executions in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and mirror a pattern of the Arab militia groups targeting ethnic minorities.
However the RSF has detained one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of summary executions.
The force released footage showing the member's arrest after confirmation that he was behind the execution of numerous unarmed men close to el-Fasher.
Social media platform has confirmed that it has banned the account linked to Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had managed the profile in his identity.
Sudan was plunged into a civil war in April 2023 after a brutal power struggle broke out between its army and the RSF.
It has caused a food crisis and claims of ethnic cleansing in the western Sudan.
Over 150,000 persons have died in the fighting throughout the country, and roughly 12 million have left their residences in what the UN has described as the biggest global humanitarian disaster.
The takeover of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in control of the western region and significant areas of adjacent Kordofan to the south, and the army holding the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the Red Sea.
The two warring rivals had been collaborators - taking over together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but fell out over an internationally backed proposal to move towards civilian rule.