Over 60,000 Escape Sudanese City After Capture by RSF Militia, UN Says
According to the UN refugee agency, over 60,000 people have left the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was captured by the paramilitary RSF over the weekend.
Accounts suggest summary killings and crimes against humanity as RSF fighters stormed the city after an 18-month blockade featuring starvation and sustained attacks.
The exodus of those escaping the violence towards the community of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had increased in the past few days, according to United Nations refugee agency spokesperson.
Survivors were describing horrendous tales of abuses, including rape, and the organization was having trouble to secure sufficient accommodation and supplies for them.
All children was affected by undernourishment, she commented.
Estimates suggest that over 150,000 individuals are currently trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the military's remaining fortress in the western region of Darfur.
The RSF has disputed broad claims that the killings in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and resemble a trend of the Arab militia groups focusing on non-Arab communities.
Yet the paramilitary group has detained one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of on-the-spot executions.
The force shared video depicting the militiaman's arrest after verification that he was responsible for the execution of several non-combatants near el-Fasher.
Digital platform has verified that it has suspended the channel linked to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had operated the profile in his identity.
Sudan was thrown into a domestic fighting in April 2023 when a vicious power struggle erupted between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.
This has caused a food crisis and allegations of ethnic cleansing in the Darfur area.
Over 150,000 individuals have been killed in the war across the country, and roughly 12 million have abandoned their residences in what the UN has called the most extensive humanitarian disaster.
The seizure of el-Fasher strengthens the territorial division in the country, with the RSF now in dominance of Sudan's west and a large portion of bordering Kordofan to the south, and the military occupying the capital, Khartoum, the center and east along the coastal region.
The two warring rivals had been collaborators - taking over together in a coup in 2021 - but split over an foreign-endorsed initiative to advance to democratic governance.