In excess of 60,000 Run from Sudanese City In the wake of Takeover by RSF Militia, UN States
According to the UN refugee agency, more than 60,000 individuals have left the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was captured by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces recently.
Accounts suggest mass executions and human rights violations as militia members took control of the city following an extended blockade featuring starvation and intense shelling.
The exodus of those escaping the violence towards the community of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had grown in the past few days, per UNHCR spokesperson.
Survivors were describing terrible accounts of abuses, such as sexual violence, and the humanitarian group was finding it difficult to locate adequate housing and food for them.
Every child was affected by undernourishment, she added.
It is estimated that more than 150,000 individuals are presently unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the army's remaining bastion in the western region of Darfur.
The RSF has denied broad accusations that the executions in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and follow a practice of the Arab militia groups targeting non-Arab communities.
Yet the RSF has arrested one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with summary executions.
The force released recordings depicting the militiaman's apprehension after verification that he was involved in the killing of several non-combatants close to el-Fasher.
Digital platform has acknowledged that it has banned the channel linked to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had managed the account in his name.
Sudan was entered a internal conflict in April 2023 when a intense contest for control erupted between its army and the RSF.
The conflict has caused a famine and claims of genocide in the Darfur area.
Over 150,000 people have died in the conflict around the country, and about 12 million have abandoned their residences in what the UN has described as the world's largest humanitarian crisis.
The capture of el-Fasher strengthens the territorial division 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 holding the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the coastal region.
The competing factions had been partners - coming to power together in a coup in 2021 - but disagreed over an internationally backed proposal to advance to civilian leadership.
