Over 60,000 Flee Sudanese City After Seizure by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, UN Says
As stated by the UNHCR, over 60,000 people have fled the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was seized by the militia RSF during the weekend.
Reports indicate multiple executions and atrocities as militia members entered the city following an year-and-a-half blockade characterized by starvation and heavy bombardment.
The exodus of those fleeing the violence towards the community of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the recent days, as stated by UNHCR representative.
Survivors were describing shocking stories of atrocities, featuring rape, and the agency was finding it difficult to secure enough housing and nourishment for them.
Each child was experiencing nutritional deficiencies, she added.
Calculations indicate that more than 150,000 individuals are currently trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's remaining stronghold in the western region of Darfur.
The RSF has disputed extensive claims that the killings in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and resemble a pattern of the Arab militia groups targeting non-Arab communities.
Nevertheless the RSF has arrested one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with on-the-spot executions.
The force released footage revealing the fighter's arrest after verification that he was involved in the execution of several non-combatants in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Digital platform has confirmed that it has removed the profile connected to Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had operated the profile in his name.
Sudan was entered a domestic fighting in April 2023 following a brutal contest for control erupted between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.
It has caused a food crisis and claims of ethnic cleansing in the western Sudan.
Over 150,000 individuals have been killed in the war across the country, and roughly 12 million have fled their residences in what the UN has termed the most extensive humanitarian emergency.
The takeover of el-Fasher reinforces the regional separation in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in command of the western region and a large portion of adjacent Kordofan to the south, and the army controlling the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the coastal region.
The two warring rivals had been allies - coming to power together in a coup in 2021 - but fell out over an globally supported proposal to transition to democratic governance.
