In excess of 60,000 Flee Sudan's City Following Capture by RSF Paramilitary Group, United Nations Says
As stated by the UN refugee agency, more than 60,000 civilians have left the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces recently.
Reports indicate multiple executions and crimes against humanity as paramilitary forces stormed the city after an 18-month blockade characterized by starvation and heavy bombardment.
The flow of those running from the violence towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the recent days, as stated by UNHCR spokesperson.
Survivors were telling horrendous stories of atrocities, featuring sexual violence, and the humanitarian group was finding it difficult to locate sufficient housing and food for them.
All children was suffering from nutritional deficiencies, she noted.
Estimates suggest that over 150,000 residents are still stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the military's remaining fortress in the western region of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has disputed extensive allegations that the executions in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and resemble a pattern of the Arab militia groups focusing on ethnic minorities.
Yet the paramilitary group has custodied one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with on-the-spot executions.
The organization shared recordings showing the militiaman's arrest subsequent to confirmation that he was involved in the killing of several civilians close to el-Fasher.
Video sharing service has acknowledged that it has suspended the account connected to Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had controlled the account in his identity.
Sudan was entered a civil war in April 2023 after a intense struggle for power began between its military and the RSF.
The conflict has led to a starvation emergency and claims of ethnic cleansing in the western Darfur region.
Over 150,000 individuals have lost their lives in the fighting around the country, and approximately 12 million have left their homes in what the United Nations has called the world's largest humanitarian crisis.
The capture of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in control of Sudan's west and a large portion of bordering Kordofan to the southern area, and the army controlling the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the coastal region.
The opposing sides had been collaborators - taking over together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but fell out over an internationally backed proposal to transition to civilian leadership.