In excess of 60,000 Run from Sudanese City Following Capture by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, UN Says
As stated by the United Nations refugee organization, more than 60,000 individuals have escaped the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was captured by the paramilitary RSF recently.
Accounts suggest multiple executions and atrocities as militia members entered the city following an year-and-a-half blockade marked by starvation and heavy bombardment.
The movement of those running from the violence towards the town of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had increased in the last several days, according to United Nations refugee agency representative.
Refugees were describing horrendous stories of violence, including rape, and the agency was struggling to secure enough housing and nourishment for them.
All children was suffering from malnutrition, she added.
Estimates suggest that more than 150,000 residents are still trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the military's final fortress in the western region of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has denied broad claims that the deaths in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and follow a pattern of the Arab fighters targeting non-Arab populations.
Yet the paramilitary group has custodied one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of summary executions.
The force released video revealing the militiaman's arrest after verification that he was responsible for the killing of numerous civilians close to el-Fasher.
Digital platform has verified that it has removed the account linked to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had managed the account in his identity.
Sudan was thrown into a civil war in April 2023 following a intense power struggle began between its army and the RSF.
The conflict has caused a food crisis and accusations of genocide in the Darfur area.
Over 150,000 people have died in the conflict throughout the country, and approximately 12 million have fled their dwellings in what the UN has described as the world's largest humanitarian disaster.
The takeover of el-Fasher solidifies the territorial division in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in command of Sudan's west and much of neighbouring Kordofan to the southern area, and the military holding the capital, Khartoum, the center and east along the coastal region.
The two warring rivals had been allies - gaining control together in a takeover in 2021 - but split over an foreign-endorsed plan to transition to civilian rule.