In excess of 60,000 Flee Sudan's City Following Takeover by Rapid Support Forces Militia, UN Reports
Per the United Nations refugee organization, in excess of 60,000 people have fled the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the militia Rapid Support Forces over the weekend.
Reports indicate summary killings and human rights violations as RSF fighters stormed the city following an extended blockade characterized by famine and heavy bombardment.
The exodus of those running from the conflict towards the town of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the past few days, according to United Nations refugee agency representative.
They were narrating horrendous stories of violence, including sexual violence, and the humanitarian group was struggling to secure adequate housing and food for them.
Every child was suffering from malnutrition, she added.
It is estimated that more than 150,000 residents are presently unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the military's final fortress in the western region of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has denied broad allegations that the killings in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and mirror a pattern of the Arab paramilitaries focusing on ethnic minorities.
Yet the RSF has detained one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been implicated in extrajudicial killings.
The group shared video depicting the member's detention after confirmation that he was responsible for the death of several unarmed men in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Video sharing service has confirmed that it has banned the channel associated with Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had controlled the profile in his identity.
Sudan was entered a internal conflict in April 2023 when a vicious contest for control erupted between its army and the Rapid Support Forces.
It has led to a food crisis and accusations of mass killing in the Darfur area.
More than 150,000 persons have lost their lives in the fighting throughout the country, and about 12 million have left their homes in what the United Nations has called the world's largest humanitarian emergency.
The capture of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in control of the western region and a large portion of adjacent Kordofan to the southern area, and the military occupying the capital, Khartoum, the center and east along the coastal region.
The opposing sides had been partners - taking over together in a coup in 2021 - but fell out over an internationally backed initiative to advance to civilian rule.