In excess of 60,000 Run from Sudanese City In the wake of Seizure by Rapid Support Forces Militia, United Nations States
Per the UNHCR, in excess of 60,000 civilians have left the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was captured by the militia Rapid Support Forces over the weekend.
Reports indicate multiple executions and atrocities as militia members stormed the city following an 18-month siege characterized by starvation and intense shelling.
The exodus of those escaping the conflict towards the community of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the recent days, as stated by UNHCR representative.
They were telling terrible stories of atrocities, including sexual violence, and the humanitarian group was struggling to locate enough accommodation and food for them.
Each child was affected by nutritional deficiencies, she added.
Calculations indicate that more than 150,000 people are presently unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the military's last fortress in the western part of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has denied broad allegations that the killings in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and mirror a trend of the Arab paramilitaries targeting non-Arab populations.
However the paramilitary group has arrested one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with on-the-spot executions.
The group distributed recordings showing the member's apprehension following confirmation that he was responsible for the execution of numerous civilians near el-Fasher.
Video sharing service has acknowledged that it has suspended the profile linked to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had operated the profile in his identity.
Sudan was plunged into a internal conflict in April 2023 after a intense struggle for power erupted between its army and the RSF.
It has caused a food crisis and accusations of ethnic cleansing in the western Sudan.
More than 150,000 persons have lost their lives in the war around the country, and roughly 12 million have fled their homes in what the United Nations has described as the world's largest humanitarian crisis.
The takeover of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in dominance of the western region and a large portion of neighbouring Kordofan to the south, and the military controlling the main city, Khartoum, the center and east along the coastal region.
The competing factions had been allies - coming to power together in a coup in 2021 - but fell out over an globally supported plan to advance to civilian leadership.
