More than 60,000 Escape Sudan's City Following Seizure by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, UN Says
According to the UN refugee agency, over 60,000 individuals have left the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the militia Rapid Support Forces recently.
Reports indicate mass executions and human rights violations as RSF fighters took control of the city after an extended blockade featuring famine and heavy bombardment.
The exodus of those fleeing the fighting towards the community of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had grown in the recent days, as stated by UNHCR representative.
Refugees were narrating shocking accounts of atrocities, featuring rape, and the humanitarian group was having trouble to secure enough shelter and supplies for them.
All children was suffering from malnutrition, she commented.
Calculations indicate that in excess of 150,000 residents are still unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the army's final bastion in the western region of Darfur.
The RSF has disputed extensive allegations that the executions in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and follow a practice of the Arab militia groups targeting ethnic minorities.
Nevertheless the RSF has custodied one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with summary executions.
The organization shared footage revealing the member's detention following verification that he was behind the killing of multiple unarmed men near el-Fasher.
Digital platform has verified that it has suspended the account linked to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had operated the profile in his name.
Sudan was plunged into a domestic fighting in April 2023 following a vicious struggle for power broke out between its army and the Rapid Support Forces.
It has caused a famine and accusations of mass killing in the western Sudan.
In excess of 150,000 people have been killed in the war throughout the country, and roughly 12 million have left their dwellings in what the United Nations has called the biggest global humanitarian disaster.
The seizure of el-Fasher reinforces the regional separation in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in dominance of western Sudan and significant areas of bordering Kordofan to the southern area, and the military occupying the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the coastal region.
The two warring rivals had been collaborators - taking over together in a coup in 2021 - but fell out over an foreign-endorsed proposal to transition to democratic governance.