More than 60,000 Escape Sudanese City Following Capture by Rapid Support Forces Militia, UN Says

Per the United Nations refugee organization, over 60,000 people have fled the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was seized by the militia Rapid Support Forces over the weekend.

Accounts suggest multiple executions and human rights violations as RSF fighters entered the city following an year-and-a-half siege marked by starvation and heavy bombardment.

The exodus of those escaping the violence towards the community of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had grown in the last several days, as stated by United Nations refugee agency spokesperson.

They were telling terrible tales of abuses, featuring rape, and the humanitarian group was finding it difficult to secure adequate housing and food for them.

Every child was suffering from undernourishment, she added.

Estimates suggest that over 150,000 people are presently stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the military's remaining bastion in the western region of Darfur.

The RSF has denied extensive accusations that the deaths in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and follow a pattern of the Arab fighters focusing on non-Arab populations.

However the RSF has arrested one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been implicated in summary executions.

The organization released footage showing the militiaman's arrest after verification that he was responsible for the killing of multiple unarmed men close to el-Fasher.

Digital platform has acknowledged that it has suspended the channel linked to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had controlled the profile in his identity.

Sudan was entered a civil war in April 2023 when a intense power struggle began between its army and the RSF.

The conflict has caused a starvation emergency and allegations of mass killing in the western Sudan.

Over 150,000 individuals have lost their lives in the conflict around the country, and approximately 12 million have left their dwellings in what the UN has termed the biggest global humanitarian disaster.

The takeover of el-Fasher reinforces the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in control of the western region and significant areas of bordering Kordofan to the south, and the army holding the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the coastal region.

The two warring rivals had been partners - taking over together in a coup in 2021 - but fell out over an foreign-endorsed proposal to move towards democratic governance.