In excess of 60,000 Flee Sudan's City Following Seizure by RSF Militia, United Nations Reports
According to the United Nations refugee organization, more than 60,000 individuals have fled the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was seized by the militia Rapid Support Forces over the weekend.
Reports indicate summary killings and human rights violations as paramilitary forces stormed the city after an year-and-a-half siege marked by food shortages and heavy bombardment.
The exodus of those fleeing the fighting towards the town of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the past few days, as stated by UNHCR spokesperson.
Refugees were telling horrendous tales of atrocities, featuring rape, and the humanitarian group was finding it difficult to secure adequate shelter and food for them.
Each child was affected by nutritional deficiencies, she added.
It is estimated that in excess of 150,000 residents are presently stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the military's final fortress in the western part of Darfur.
The RSF has rejected widespread allegations that the killings in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and resemble a practice of the Arab militia groups attacking non-Arab populations.
Yet the RSF has custodied one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with on-the-spot executions.
The organization released recordings revealing the militiaman's apprehension after confirmation that he was behind the death of multiple non-combatants near el-Fasher.
Social media platform has confirmed that it has banned the channel associated with Lulu. It is not clear whether he had managed the profile in his name.
Sudan was plunged into a civil war in April 2023 when a intense power struggle began between its army and the RSF.
It has led to a starvation emergency and claims of mass killing in the western Sudan.
More than 150,000 persons have been killed in the fighting throughout the country, and approximately 12 million have abandoned their homes in what the UN has described as the most extensive humanitarian crisis.
The capture of el-Fasher reinforces the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in dominance of Sudan's west and much of neighbouring Kordofan to the southern area, and the army occupying the capital, Khartoum, the center and east along the coastal region.
The competing factions had been collaborators - coming to power together in a takeover in 2021 - but disagreed over an foreign-endorsed plan to transition to democratic governance.