More than 60,000 Flee Sudan's City After Capture by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, United Nations Reports
Per the UNHCR, in excess of 60,000 individuals have escaped the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was captured by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces during the weekend.
There have been multiple executions and atrocities as paramilitary forces entered the city following an 18-month encirclement featuring food shortages and heavy bombardment.
The exodus of those fleeing the violence towards the town of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had grown in the last several days, per United Nations refugee agency representative.
Refugees were describing terrible tales of abuses, including sexual violence, and the organization was finding it difficult to locate enough accommodation and supplies for them.
All children was affected by nutritional deficiencies, she commented.
Estimates suggest that in excess of 150,000 people are still unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the military's remaining stronghold in the western part of Darfur.
The RSF has denied broad allegations that the deaths in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and resemble a pattern of the Arab fighters targeting non-Arab populations.
Nevertheless the paramilitary group has custodied one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of on-the-spot executions.
The group released video depicting the member's detention subsequent to verification that he was behind the killing of several civilians in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Video sharing service has confirmed that it has banned the channel linked to Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had operated the profile in his identity.
Sudan was entered a domestic fighting in April 2023 when a vicious struggle for power broke out between its army and the RSF.
The conflict has led to a famine and accusations of genocide in the Darfur area.
In excess of 150,000 persons have been killed in the fighting around the country, and approximately 12 million have left their homes in what the United Nations has termed the biggest global humanitarian disaster.
The capture of el-Fasher solidifies the geographic split in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in command of western Sudan and significant areas of adjacent Kordofan to the southern area, and the military holding the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the coastal region.
The opposing sides had been collaborators - coming to power together in a coup in 2021 - but fell out over an foreign-endorsed initiative to advance to civilian rule.