In excess of 60,000 Run from Sudan's City In the wake of Capture by RSF Militia, UN Says

Displaced people escaping violence in the region
Numerous are trying to reach the town of Tawila but experience harassment, demands for money and abuse from militiamen during their journey

Per the UN refugee agency, in excess of 60,000 civilians have left the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was seized by the paramilitary RSF recently.

There have been summary killings and atrocities as RSF fighters entered the city following an extended blockade featuring starvation and intense shelling.

The flow of those escaping the conflict towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had increased in the last several days, according to UNHCR representative.

Refugees were narrating shocking tales of violence, such as sexual violence, and the organization was having trouble to locate enough housing and food for them.

Each child was experiencing undernourishment, she commented.

Estimates suggest that in excess of 150,000 residents are still unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the military's remaining fortress in the western part of Darfur.

The Rapid Support Forces has disputed extensive claims that the deaths in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and resemble a practice of the Arab fighters attacking non-Arab communities.

However the RSF has custodied one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of on-the-spot executions.

The organization distributed video depicting the member's apprehension subsequent to verification that he was behind the death of multiple non-combatants near el-Fasher.

Video sharing service has confirmed that it has removed the channel linked to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had operated the account in his name.

Sudan was thrown into a domestic fighting in April 2023 after a brutal contest for control began between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.

The conflict has resulted in a famine and allegations of ethnic cleansing in the Darfur area.

In excess of 150,000 individuals have lost their lives in the war around the country, and about 12 million have fled their dwellings in what the United Nations has termed the biggest global humanitarian crisis.

The takeover of el-Fasher reinforces the geographic split in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in control of Sudan's west and much of adjacent Kordofan to the south, and the army holding the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the Red Sea.

The competing factions had been allies - gaining control together in a takeover in 2021 - but fell out over an internationally backed plan to move towards civilian leadership.

Pamela Hart
Pamela Hart

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