More than 60,000 Flee Sudan's City After Capture by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, UN States

Refugees escaping violence in the region
Many seek to get to the settlement of Tawila but face intimidation, demands for money and abuse from fighters along the way

Per the UNHCR, more than 60,000 individuals have fled the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was captured by the paramilitary RSF during the weekend.

Accounts suggest multiple executions and crimes against humanity as paramilitary forces stormed the city following an extended siege characterized by starvation and intense shelling.

The flow of those fleeing the violence towards the town of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had increased in the last several days, as stated by UNHCR spokesperson.

Survivors were telling shocking stories of abuses, featuring rape, and the humanitarian group was finding it difficult to locate sufficient housing and supplies for them.

Every child was suffering from undernourishment, she added.

Estimates suggest that in excess of 150,000 individuals are still trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's remaining fortress in the western part of Darfur.

The RSF has denied widespread claims that the killings in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and mirror a pattern of the Arab militia groups attacking non-Arab populations.

However the RSF has arrested one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been implicated in extrajudicial killings.

The organization released video depicting the militiaman's arrest subsequent to confirmation that he was behind the killing of numerous non-combatants close to el-Fasher.

Digital platform has confirmed that it has removed the account connected to Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had operated the account in his name.

Sudan was entered a domestic fighting in April 2023 following a brutal contest for control began between its military and the RSF.

This has led to a starvation emergency and allegations of mass killing in the western Sudan.

Over 150,000 persons have lost their lives in the conflict throughout the country, and roughly 12 million have left their homes in what the UN has described as the most extensive humanitarian disaster.

The seizure of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in control of the western region and significant areas of neighbouring Kordofan to the southern area, and the army holding the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the Red Sea.

The two warring rivals had been collaborators - gaining control together in a takeover in 2021 - but split over an foreign-endorsed plan to transition to civilian rule.

Chase Allison
Chase Allison

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