More than 60,000 Flee Sudanese City In the wake of Takeover by RSF Militia, United Nations Says
Per the UN refugee agency, over 60,000 people have escaped the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was captured by the militia RSF recently.
Reports indicate summary killings and human rights violations as RSF fighters took control of the city following an extended siege characterized by famine and intense shelling.
The exodus of those escaping the conflict towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had grown in the recent days, according to United Nations refugee agency spokesperson.
They were describing terrible accounts of abuses, featuring sexual violence, and the organization was finding it difficult to find enough shelter and supplies for them.
All children was suffering from undernourishment, she added.
It is estimated that in excess of 150,000 people are presently stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the military's last stronghold in the western part of Darfur.
The RSF has disputed widespread accusations that the deaths in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and resemble a practice of the Arab fighters attacking non-Arab populations.
Nevertheless the RSF has detained one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with summary executions.
The organization shared recordings revealing the militiaman's arrest after verification that he was behind the execution of several unarmed men in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Digital platform has verified that it has removed the profile associated with Lulu. It is not clear whether he had operated the account in his name.
Sudan was entered a civil war in April 2023 when a intense struggle for power began between its military and the RSF.
This has resulted in a food crisis and accusations of ethnic cleansing in the Darfur area.
Over 150,000 people have been killed in the fighting across the country, and about 12 million have fled their residences in what the United Nations has described as the world's largest humanitarian disaster.
The capture of el-Fasher strengthens the geographic split in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in command of western Sudan and much of bordering Kordofan to the south, and the army holding the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the coastal region.
The competing factions had been partners - coming to power together in a coup in 2021 - but split over an globally supported plan to transition to civilian leadership.