In excess of 60,000 Flee Sudan's City After Capture by Rapid Support Forces Militia, United Nations States
As stated by the United Nations refugee organization, over 60,000 civilians have escaped the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was captured by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces recently.
There have been multiple executions and crimes against humanity as militia members entered the city after an extended encirclement featuring famine and intense shelling.
The flow of those escaping the fighting towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the past few days, as stated by UNHCR representative.
Survivors were narrating shocking accounts of atrocities, such as sexual violence, and the humanitarian group was finding it difficult to secure enough shelter and food for them.
Every child was suffering from nutritional deficiencies, she added.
Estimates suggest that in excess of 150,000 individuals are still trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's final bastion in the western region of Darfur.
The RSF has denied broad allegations that the deaths in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and follow a pattern of the Arab fighters targeting ethnic minorities.
However the paramilitary group has custodied one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been implicated in on-the-spot executions.
The organization distributed footage depicting the militiaman's arrest subsequent to identification that he was involved in the execution of multiple non-combatants in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Social media platform has verified that it has suspended the profile associated with Lulu. It is not clear whether he had operated the account in his identity.
Sudan was plunged into a internal conflict in April 2023 when a intense struggle for power began between its military and the RSF.
The conflict has caused a starvation emergency and allegations of genocide in the western Darfur region.
Over 150,000 people have died in the war throughout the country, and about 12 million have left their dwellings in what the United Nations has termed the world's largest humanitarian crisis.
The takeover of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in dominance of the western region and significant areas of bordering Kordofan to the southern area, and the army occupying the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the coastal region.
The competing factions had been allies - taking over together in a takeover in 2021 - but disagreed over an globally supported plan to transition to civilian rule.