More than 60,000 Run from Sudanese City In the wake of Seizure by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, UN States
According to the UNHCR, over 60,000 people have escaped the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was seized by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces recently.
Accounts suggest summary killings and crimes against humanity as militia members took control of the city following an extended encirclement marked by food shortages and heavy bombardment.
The exodus of those running from the fighting towards the community of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had increased in the past few days, as stated by UNHCR spokesperson.
They were telling shocking accounts of violence, featuring rape, and the organization was finding it difficult to locate sufficient accommodation and nourishment for them.
Every child was experiencing undernourishment, she commented.
Estimates suggest that in excess of 150,000 individuals are currently unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the military's final fortress in the western part of Darfur.
The RSF has denied widespread claims that the deaths in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and mirror a trend of the Arab militia groups targeting non-Arab populations.
Yet the RSF has arrested one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with summary executions.
The organization released video depicting the fighter's arrest subsequent to confirmation that he was responsible for the execution of numerous unarmed men close to el-Fasher.
Digital platform has confirmed that it has suspended the channel linked to Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had managed the account in his identity.
Sudan was thrown into a domestic fighting in April 2023 following a intense power struggle began between its military and the RSF.
It has resulted in a starvation emergency and allegations of genocide in the western Sudan.
More than 150,000 persons have lost their lives in the war throughout the country, and about 12 million have abandoned their homes in what the UN has termed the biggest global humanitarian disaster.
The seizure of el-Fasher solidifies the geographic split in the country, with the RSF now in control of Sudan's west and a large portion of neighbouring Kordofan to the southern area, and the army controlling the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the coastal region.
The competing factions had been allies - taking over together in a coup in 2021 - but fell out over an foreign-endorsed plan to move towards civilian rule.