More than 60,000 Flee Sudan's City After Capture by RSF Militia, UN Reports

Displaced people escaping violence in Sudan
Many are trying to get to the settlement of Tawila but encounter intimidation, demands for money and abuse from armed men along the way

Per the United Nations refugee organization, over 60,000 individuals have left the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the militia RSF recently.

There have been multiple executions and crimes against humanity as paramilitary forces entered the city after an extended encirclement characterized by food shortages and sustained attacks.

The movement of those fleeing the conflict towards the community of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had grown in the recent days, according to United Nations refugee agency representative.

They were narrating horrendous stories of abuses, including sexual violence, and the agency was struggling to locate enough accommodation and nourishment for them.

Every child was experiencing malnutrition, she noted.

It is estimated that more than 150,000 individuals are still stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the army's final stronghold in the western region of Darfur.

The Rapid Support Forces has rejected extensive accusations that the executions in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and resemble a pattern of the Arab militia groups focusing on non-Arab populations.

Yet the paramilitary group has arrested one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of summary executions.

The organization distributed recordings revealing the member's arrest subsequent to confirmation that he was responsible for the death of multiple non-combatants in the vicinity of el-Fasher.

Social media platform has acknowledged that it has suspended the account linked to Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had controlled the account in his name.

Sudan was plunged into a internal conflict in April 2023 after a brutal contest for control erupted between its military and the RSF.

It has resulted in a food crisis and accusations of mass killing in the western Darfur region.

In excess of 150,000 persons have lost their lives in the fighting throughout the country, and roughly 12 million have abandoned their residences in what the UN has called the biggest global humanitarian crisis.

The takeover of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in control of the western region and a large portion of neighbouring Kordofan to the southern area, and the army holding the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the Red Sea.

The two warring rivals had been partners - coming to power together in a coup in 2021 - but split over an internationally backed proposal to transition to civilian leadership.

Whitney Montoya
Whitney Montoya

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