In excess of 60,000 Flee Sudanese City In the wake of Capture by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, UN Reports

Displaced people escaping violence in the region
Numerous are trying to reach the settlement of Tawila but experience harassment, extortion and mistreatment from armed men during their journey

According to the UN refugee agency, in excess of 60,000 civilians have fled the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces during the weekend.

Accounts suggest multiple executions and atrocities as paramilitary forces stormed the city following an 18-month blockade marked by starvation and heavy bombardment.

The movement of those fleeing the fighting towards the community of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had increased in the recent days, as stated by United Nations refugee agency spokesperson.

Survivors were describing terrible accounts of violence, featuring sexual violence, and the humanitarian group was finding it difficult to locate adequate accommodation and nourishment for them.

All children was suffering from undernourishment, she noted.

Calculations indicate that over 150,000 residents are currently unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the army's final fortress in the western region of Darfur.

The RSF has rejected broad allegations that the deaths in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and follow a pattern of the Arab fighters focusing on non-Arab populations.

Nevertheless the RSF has detained one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of extrajudicial killings.

The group released recordings depicting the member's apprehension following verification that he was involved in the execution of multiple civilians in the vicinity of el-Fasher.

Video sharing service has confirmed that it has removed the channel connected to Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had operated the profile in his identity.

Sudan was entered a civil war in April 2023 following a vicious struggle for power began between its army and the Rapid Support Forces.

The conflict has resulted in a food crisis and accusations of mass killing in the western Sudan.

Over 150,000 people have lost their lives in the fighting around the country, and about 12 million have fled their residences in what the United Nations has described as the biggest global humanitarian emergency.

The seizure of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in control of western Sudan and significant areas of bordering Kordofan to the southern area, and the army occupying the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the Red Sea.

The opposing sides had been collaborators - taking over together in a coup in 2021 - but fell out over an foreign-endorsed plan to transition to civilian rule.

Yolanda Davis
Yolanda Davis

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