In excess of 60,000 Run from Sudanese City Following Seizure by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, United Nations States
Per the UNHCR, more than 60,000 people have escaped the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was seized by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces during the weekend.
There have been multiple executions and crimes against humanity as militia members stormed the city following an extended encirclement marked by starvation and intense shelling.
The exodus of those running from the violence towards the town of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had increased in the recent days, according to UNHCR representative.
Refugees were describing shocking accounts of atrocities, including rape, and the humanitarian group was struggling to locate adequate shelter and nourishment for them.
Each child was affected by nutritional deficiencies, she commented.
It is estimated that in excess of 150,000 people are presently trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's final stronghold in the western part of Darfur.
The RSF has denied extensive allegations that the killings in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and follow a trend of the Arab paramilitaries attacking ethnic minorities.
Yet the paramilitary group has arrested one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of summary executions.
The group released video depicting the militiaman's arrest following identification that he was involved in the death of several non-combatants near el-Fasher.
Digital platform has acknowledged that it has banned the account linked to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had controlled the profile in his identity.
Sudan was entered a domestic fighting in April 2023 after a brutal power struggle broke out between its army and the RSF.
The conflict has caused a famine and claims of ethnic cleansing in the Darfur area.
Over 150,000 individuals have died in the fighting around the country, and approximately 12 million have abandoned their homes in what the UN has described as the biggest global humanitarian disaster.
The takeover of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in dominance of the western region and much of bordering Kordofan to the south, and the army controlling the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the coastal region.
The opposing sides had been allies - gaining control together in a takeover in 2021 - but disagreed over an globally supported initiative to advance to civilian leadership.