In excess of 60,000 Flee Sudanese City After Takeover by RSF Militia, United Nations States
According to the United Nations refugee organization, in excess of 60,000 individuals have left the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was seized by the militia Rapid Support Forces during the weekend.
Accounts suggest summary killings and crimes against humanity as paramilitary forces took control of the city following an 18-month encirclement marked by famine and sustained attacks.
The exodus of those fleeing the violence towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had increased in the last several days, according to UNHCR representative.
They were describing terrible tales of atrocities, featuring sexual violence, and the humanitarian group was having trouble to locate enough accommodation and food for them.
Each child was affected by undernourishment, she added.
It is estimated that over 150,000 residents are currently stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the military's final bastion in the western part of Darfur.
The RSF has denied extensive allegations that the executions in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and resemble a practice of the Arab fighters focusing on ethnic minorities.
Yet the RSF has detained one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been implicated in summary executions.
The organization shared video showing the militiaman's arrest following identification that he was involved in the execution of multiple non-combatants in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Video sharing service has acknowledged that it has removed the profile linked to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had operated the account in his name.
Sudan was thrown into a domestic fighting in April 2023 following a brutal power struggle erupted between its military and the RSF.
This has led to a famine and accusations of mass killing in the Darfur area.
In excess of 150,000 individuals have lost their lives in the war across the country, and roughly 12 million have fled their dwellings in what the United Nations has termed the biggest global humanitarian disaster.
The takeover of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in dominance of western Sudan and much of adjacent Kordofan to the south, and the military controlling the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the Red Sea.
The competing factions had been partners - taking over together in a takeover in 2021 - but split over an internationally backed proposal to transition to democratic governance.