In excess of 60,000 Flee Sudanese City In the wake of Capture by Rapid Support Forces Militia, UN Says
According to the UNHCR, in excess of 60,000 individuals have left the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces during the weekend.
There have been multiple executions and crimes against humanity as paramilitary forces took control of the city after an extended encirclement featuring famine and heavy bombardment.
The flow of those escaping the fighting towards the community of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had grown in the past few days, according to United Nations refugee agency spokesperson.
They were describing terrible stories of abuses, including sexual violence, and the organization was having trouble to find enough accommodation and nourishment for them.
All children was suffering from nutritional deficiencies, she added.
Calculations indicate that in excess of 150,000 individuals are currently unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the army's last fortress in the western part of Darfur.
The RSF has rejected broad allegations that the executions in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and resemble a trend of the Arab fighters focusing on non-Arab populations.
Yet the RSF has detained one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with on-the-spot executions.
The force distributed video showing the militiaman's arrest following identification that he was responsible for the killing of several unarmed men in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Digital platform has acknowledged that it has suspended the channel associated with Lulu. It is not clear whether he had controlled the account in his identity.
Sudan was entered a internal conflict in April 2023 following a vicious power struggle broke out between its army and the RSF.
It has caused a food crisis and accusations of genocide in the western Darfur region.
In excess of 150,000 people have died in the fighting throughout the country, and roughly 12 million have abandoned their homes in what the UN has described as the most extensive humanitarian crisis.
The capture of el-Fasher strengthens the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in dominance of the western region and much of bordering Kordofan to the south, and the army controlling the main city, Khartoum, the center and east along the coastal region.
The two warring rivals had been allies - coming to power together in a takeover in 2021 - but disagreed over an globally supported plan to advance to civilian leadership.
