Over 60,000 Flee Sudanese City In the wake of Capture by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, United Nations States
According to the UN refugee agency, over 60,000 people have fled the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was seized by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces during the weekend.
There have been mass executions and atrocities as paramilitary forces took control of the city after an 18-month encirclement marked by famine and sustained attacks.
The exodus of those fleeing the conflict towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the last several days, per UNHCR spokesperson.
They were describing horrendous stories of violence, such as sexual violence, and the organization was finding it difficult to secure adequate shelter and food for them.
All children was suffering from nutritional deficiencies, she added.
It is estimated that more than 150,000 individuals are still trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's final fortress in the western region of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has disputed broad claims that the executions in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and resemble a pattern of the Arab paramilitaries focusing on non-Arab communities.
Yet the paramilitary group has arrested one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with on-the-spot executions.
The group released recordings showing the militiaman's apprehension after confirmation that he was behind the death of several civilians near el-Fasher.
Video sharing service has verified that it has suspended the account associated with Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had managed the account in his name.
Sudan was entered a domestic fighting in April 2023 when a vicious struggle for power began between its army and the Rapid Support Forces.
This has resulted in a starvation emergency and claims of ethnic cleansing in the Darfur area.
More than 150,000 persons have been killed in the war throughout the country, and approximately 12 million have left their homes in what the United Nations has called the most extensive humanitarian disaster.
The seizure of el-Fasher solidifies the geographic split in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in dominance of the western region and significant areas of adjacent Kordofan to the southern area, and the military holding the capital, Khartoum, the center and east along the coastal region.
The two warring rivals had been allies - coming to power together in a coup in 2021 - but split over an foreign-endorsed proposal to move towards democratic governance.
