In excess of 60,000 Flee Sudan's City Following Seizure by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, UN States
As stated by the United Nations refugee organization, over 60,000 people have left the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was seized by the militia Rapid Support Forces during the weekend.
There have been summary killings and crimes against humanity as paramilitary forces entered the city following an extended siege marked by food shortages and heavy bombardment.
The movement of those running from the violence towards the community of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had grown in the past few days, per United Nations refugee agency spokesperson.
They were telling horrendous tales of violence, featuring rape, and the humanitarian group was finding it difficult to locate enough shelter and food for them.
Each child was experiencing undernourishment, she commented.
It is estimated that over 150,000 individuals are currently stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the army's final stronghold in the western part of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has disputed widespread claims that the deaths 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 fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with on-the-spot executions.
The group shared footage depicting the militiaman's apprehension subsequent to identification that he was behind the death of numerous unarmed men near el-Fasher.
Video sharing service has acknowledged that it has removed the profile connected to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had managed the account in his name.
Sudan was thrown into a internal conflict in April 2023 when a brutal contest for control erupted between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.
The conflict has caused a famine and accusations of ethnic cleansing in the western Sudan.
Over 150,000 persons have died in the conflict throughout the country, and roughly 12 million have fled their dwellings in what the UN has described as the most extensive humanitarian emergency.
The seizure of el-Fasher reinforces the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in control of Sudan's west and a large portion of adjacent Kordofan to the southern area, and the military occupying the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the Red Sea.
The opposing sides had been partners - coming to power together in a takeover in 2021 - but fell out over an internationally backed plan to transition to democratic governance.