Over 60,000 Run from Sudan's City After Takeover by Rapid Support Forces Militia, UN Reports

Displaced people escaping violence in Sudan
Numerous are attempting to reach the settlement of Tawila but face harassment, extortion and abuse from fighters during their journey

As stated by the UNHCR, in excess of 60,000 people have escaped the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the paramilitary RSF over the weekend.

Accounts suggest mass executions and human rights violations as RSF fighters took control of the city after an 18-month siege characterized by food shortages and sustained attacks.

The flow of those fleeing the conflict towards the community of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had grown in the past few days, according to UNHCR spokesperson.

Refugees were narrating terrible accounts of abuses, such as rape, and the organization was finding it difficult to find sufficient accommodation and food for them.

Every child was suffering from undernourishment, she noted.

Calculations indicate that more than 150,000 individuals are still unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the military's last bastion in the western part of Darfur.

The Rapid Support Forces has disputed extensive accusations that the executions in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and resemble a trend of the Arab fighters attacking non-Arab communities.

However the paramilitary group has detained one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with on-the-spot executions.

The force distributed recordings depicting the fighter's apprehension following verification that he was responsible for the killing of several non-combatants close to el-Fasher.

Digital platform has verified that it has removed the profile associated with Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had controlled the profile in his name.

Sudan was thrown into a civil war in April 2023 after a vicious struggle for power erupted between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.

It has resulted in a starvation emergency and claims of ethnic cleansing in the Darfur area.

In excess of 150,000 people have died in the fighting throughout the country, and approximately 12 million have abandoned their residences in what the United Nations has called the world's largest humanitarian disaster.

The seizure of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in command of Sudan's west and a large portion of bordering Kordofan to the southern area, and the army occupying the capital, Khartoum, the center and east along the coastal region.

The two warring rivals had been collaborators - taking over together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but disagreed over an globally supported initiative to move towards civilian leadership.

Margaret Shepherd
Margaret Shepherd

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