Over 60,000 Flee Sudan's City After Takeover by RSF Militia, United Nations States
As stated by the UNHCR, in excess of 60,000 individuals have fled the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was seized by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces over the weekend.
Reports indicate summary killings and crimes against humanity as militia members took control of the city after an extended siege characterized by starvation and intense shelling.
The exodus of those escaping the conflict towards the community of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the recent days, per UNHCR spokesperson.
Survivors were describing horrendous accounts of violence, featuring sexual violence, and the humanitarian group was finding it difficult to locate adequate shelter and nourishment for them.
Each child was affected by undernourishment, she added.
Calculations indicate that over 150,000 people are still trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's remaining bastion in the western region of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has disputed extensive allegations that the executions in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and follow a practice of the Arab militia groups attacking non-Arab populations.
However the RSF has detained one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of extrajudicial killings.
The group distributed video depicting the member's detention subsequent to confirmation that he was responsible for the death of numerous unarmed men near el-Fasher.
Social media platform has verified that it has suspended the channel linked to Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had controlled the account in his name.
Sudan was plunged into a civil war in April 2023 when a brutal contest for control erupted between its army and the RSF.
It has resulted in a food crisis and claims of genocide in the Darfur area.
In excess of 150,000 individuals have died in the conflict around the country, and about 12 million have left their homes in what the United Nations has called the biggest global humanitarian crisis.
The takeover of el-Fasher reinforces the geographic split in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in dominance of Sudan's west and a large portion of bordering Kordofan to the southern area, and the military holding the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the coastal region.
The competing factions had been allies - gaining control together in a takeover in 2021 - but fell out over an foreign-endorsed plan to advance to civilian leadership.