In excess of 60,000 Escape Sudanese City In the wake of Capture by Rapid Support Forces Militia, UN Says

Displaced people escaping conflict in Sudan
Numerous are attempting to get to the settlement of Tawila but encounter intimidation, extortion and abuse from militiamen during their journey

Per the UNHCR, more than 60,000 civilians have left the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was seized by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces over the weekend.

Accounts suggest multiple executions and atrocities as RSF fighters took control of the city following an extended blockade marked by food shortages and intense shelling.

The exodus of those escaping the violence towards the town of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the recent days, according to United Nations refugee agency spokesperson.

Refugees were narrating horrendous accounts of abuses, such as sexual violence, and the agency was having trouble to find sufficient housing and supplies for them.

Every child was affected by undernourishment, she added.

It is estimated that over 150,000 people are still stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the army's final bastion in the western part of Darfur.

The Rapid Support Forces has disputed widespread allegations that the executions in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and mirror a pattern of the Arab fighters focusing on ethnic minorities.

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

The organization released footage revealing the member's arrest after confirmation that he was responsible for the death of several non-combatants near el-Fasher.

Video sharing service has confirmed that it has removed the channel linked to Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had managed the account in his name.

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

The conflict has resulted in a food crisis and allegations of genocide in the western Sudan.

More than 150,000 people have been killed in the conflict throughout the country, and approximately 12 million have fled their homes in what the UN has described as the world's largest humanitarian disaster.

The seizure of el-Fasher reinforces the geographic split in the country, with the RSF now in control of Sudan's west and a large portion of adjacent Kordofan to the southern area, and the military holding the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the coastal region.

The opposing sides had been collaborators - coming to power together in a takeover in 2021 - but split over an foreign-endorsed proposal to advance to civilian leadership.

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