In excess of 60,000 Flee Sudan's City In the wake of Takeover by RSF Militia, UN Reports
As stated by the UNHCR, more than 60,000 civilians have escaped the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was seized by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces during the weekend.
Accounts suggest mass executions and human rights violations as RSF fighters took control of the city after an extended siege marked by famine and heavy bombardment.
The flow of those fleeing the fighting towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the recent days, per UNHCR spokesperson.
They were describing terrible tales of abuses, including sexual violence, and the agency was struggling to find adequate accommodation and supplies for them.
Every child was affected by undernourishment, she noted.
Estimates suggest that over 150,000 people are still unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the army's final stronghold in the western part of Darfur.
The RSF has denied widespread allegations that the deaths in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and mirror a trend of the Arab militia groups targeting non-Arab populations.
Nevertheless the RSF has arrested one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of summary executions.
The group distributed footage revealing the militiaman's arrest following identification that he was responsible for the death of numerous unarmed men in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Social media platform has confirmed that it has removed the channel associated with Lulu. It is not clear whether he had controlled the account in his identity.
Sudan was plunged into a internal conflict in April 2023 following a intense struggle for power broke out between its army and the RSF.
This has led to a famine and allegations of ethnic cleansing in the western Darfur region.
Over 150,000 persons have died in the war around the country, and about 12 million have fled their residences in what the United Nations has called the world's largest humanitarian crisis.
The capture of el-Fasher solidifies the geographic split in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in dominance of western Sudan and a large portion of adjacent Kordofan to the southern area, and the military controlling the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the Red Sea.
The competing factions had been partners - gaining control together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but fell out over an globally supported plan to transition to civilian rule.