Over 60,000 Flee Sudanese City After Seizure by RSF Militia, UN Reports
According to the UN refugee agency, more than 60,000 civilians have left the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was seized by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces during the weekend.
There have been multiple executions and human rights violations as RSF fighters took control of the city after an 18-month siege marked by famine and heavy bombardment.
The movement of those fleeing the fighting towards the community of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had grown in the recent days, per UNHCR representative.
Refugees were narrating shocking stories of violence, such as sexual violence, and the organization was struggling to secure adequate housing and nourishment for them.
Each child was suffering from nutritional deficiencies, she added.
Estimates suggest that over 150,000 people are presently stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the military's remaining bastion in the western part of Darfur.
The RSF has rejected extensive accusations that the deaths in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and resemble a practice of the Arab paramilitaries attacking non-Arab communities.
Nevertheless the paramilitary group has detained one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of extrajudicial killings.
The force shared recordings revealing the militiaman's apprehension following confirmation that he was responsible for the death of numerous civilians in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Video sharing service has verified that it has suspended the account linked to Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had operated the profile in his name.
Sudan was entered a domestic fighting in April 2023 when a intense struggle for power broke out between its military and the RSF.
The conflict has led to a starvation emergency and claims of genocide in the western Sudan.
More than 150,000 persons have died in the war across the country, and about 12 million have left their residences in what the United Nations has termed the world's largest humanitarian emergency.
The takeover of el-Fasher strengthens the geographic split in the country, with the RSF now in control of Sudan's west and significant areas of bordering Kordofan to the southern area, and the military controlling the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the Red Sea.
The opposing sides had been allies - taking over together in a coup in 2021 - but disagreed over an internationally backed proposal to transition to democratic governance.