More than 60,000 Escape Sudan's City Following Seizure by Rapid Support Forces Militia, United Nations Says

Displaced people escaping conflict in Sudan
Many seek to reach the town of Tawila but experience harassment, extortion and abuse from armed men during their journey

According to the UN refugee agency, more than 60,000 civilians have escaped the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was captured by the paramilitary RSF recently.

Accounts suggest summary killings and crimes against humanity as paramilitary forces stormed the city after an year-and-a-half blockade marked by famine and sustained attacks.

The movement of those running from the fighting towards the community of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had grown in the last several days, as stated by United Nations refugee agency spokesperson.

They were narrating horrendous tales of violence, featuring rape, and the organization was having trouble to secure sufficient shelter and nourishment for them.

All children was experiencing nutritional deficiencies, she noted.

It is estimated that over 150,000 individuals are currently trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the military's last stronghold in the western region of Darfur.

The RSF has rejected widespread claims that the executions in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and resemble a practice of the Arab militia groups targeting non-Arab communities.

Yet the paramilitary group has custodied one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with summary executions.

The group released footage showing the militiaman's arrest following identification that he was involved in the killing of numerous unarmed men close to el-Fasher.

Digital platform has confirmed that it has banned the profile linked to Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had operated the profile in his identity.

Sudan was thrown into a civil war in April 2023 after a brutal power struggle broke out between its army and the Rapid Support Forces.

It has caused a starvation emergency and accusations of mass killing in the western Darfur region.

In excess of 150,000 individuals have died in the war throughout the country, and roughly 12 million have abandoned their residences in what the United Nations has described as the biggest global humanitarian crisis.

The takeover of el-Fasher reinforces the regional separation in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in control of Sudan's west and a large portion of bordering Kordofan to the south, and the military controlling the main city, Khartoum, the center and east along the Red Sea.

The opposing sides had been collaborators - coming to power together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but disagreed over an internationally backed proposal to advance to civilian leadership.

Jose Garrison
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