In excess of 60,000 Escape Sudan's City In the wake of Capture by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, United Nations States
According to the UN refugee agency, more than 60,000 people have escaped the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was captured by the paramilitary RSF during the weekend.
Reports indicate mass executions and crimes against humanity as militia members entered the city after an extended encirclement characterized by food shortages and heavy bombardment.
The exodus of those running from the fighting towards the community of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had increased in the past few days, per UNHCR spokesperson.
They were narrating shocking accounts of abuses, such as rape, and the agency was having trouble to secure adequate housing and supplies for them.
All children was affected by malnutrition, she commented.
Calculations indicate that more than 150,000 people are currently trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the military's remaining stronghold in the western part of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has rejected extensive allegations that the killings in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and mirror a practice of the Arab paramilitaries attacking ethnic minorities.
Nevertheless the paramilitary group has detained one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of summary executions.
The group shared footage depicting the fighter's arrest subsequent to verification that he was behind the killing of several non-combatants close to el-Fasher.
Social media platform has verified that it has suspended the account connected to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had controlled the profile in his identity.
Sudan was plunged into a civil war in April 2023 after a intense contest for control began between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.
It has resulted in a food crisis and allegations of mass killing in the Darfur area.
In excess of 150,000 individuals have lost their lives in the conflict around the country, and roughly 12 million have fled their dwellings in what the United Nations has described as the most extensive humanitarian emergency.
The takeover of el-Fasher solidifies the territorial division in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in dominance of Sudan's west and significant areas of neighbouring Kordofan to the south, and the army occupying the main city, Khartoum, the center and east along the coastal region.
The competing factions had been allies - taking over together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but fell out over an internationally backed proposal to transition to civilian rule.