In excess of 60,000 Flee Sudan's City In the wake of Capture by Rapid Support Forces Militia, United Nations Says
According to the UN refugee agency, in excess of 60,000 civilians have fled the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was seized by the militia RSF recently.
There have been summary killings and crimes against humanity as paramilitary forces entered the city after an year-and-a-half siege characterized by starvation and sustained attacks.
The exodus of those fleeing the conflict towards the town of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had grown in the recent days, per UNHCR representative.
They were describing horrendous tales of violence, such as rape, and the humanitarian group was having trouble to locate enough accommodation and food for them.
Every child was suffering from undernourishment, she added.
Estimates suggest that more than 150,000 individuals are currently stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the military's final fortress in the western part of Darfur.
The RSF has denied widespread claims that the executions in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and resemble a pattern of the Arab paramilitaries attacking non-Arab populations.
Nevertheless the RSF has arrested one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of summary executions.
The group shared recordings revealing the member's arrest after identification that he was responsible for the killing of several unarmed men close to el-Fasher.
Social media platform has confirmed that it has banned the profile associated with Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had managed the account in his name.
Sudan was entered a internal conflict in April 2023 following a brutal power struggle broke out between its military and the RSF.
This has caused a food crisis and accusations of mass killing in the western Sudan.
In excess of 150,000 individuals have been killed in the conflict across the country, and about 12 million have abandoned their homes in what the UN has called the most extensive humanitarian disaster.
The capture of el-Fasher strengthens the geographic split in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in command of Sudan's west and much of adjacent Kordofan to the south, and the military holding the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the Red Sea.
The competing factions had been collaborators - taking over together in a coup in 2021 - but split over an globally supported plan to transition to democratic governance.
