In excess of 60,000 Escape Sudan's City Following Capture by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, United Nations Says

Refugees fleeing conflict in Sudan
Many are trying to get to the settlement of Tawila but experience harassment, extortion and abuse from militiamen along the way

As stated by the United Nations refugee organization, over 60,000 individuals have fled the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was captured by the paramilitary RSF over the weekend.

There have been mass executions and crimes against humanity as militia members entered the city following an year-and-a-half siege featuring famine and intense shelling.

The exodus of those running from the violence towards the town of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the recent days, per UNHCR representative.

Refugees were telling shocking accounts of atrocities, such as sexual violence, and the organization was struggling to secure sufficient housing and nourishment for them.

Every child was suffering from undernourishment, she noted.

Calculations indicate that more than 150,000 residents are currently trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's final fortress in the western part of Darfur.

The Rapid Support Forces has denied widespread accusations that the deaths in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and follow a practice of the Arab fighters targeting non-Arab communities.

Nevertheless the paramilitary group has arrested one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with extrajudicial killings.

The group shared recordings showing the member's arrest subsequent to confirmation that he was involved in the execution of numerous civilians near el-Fasher.

Video sharing service has verified that it has banned the profile associated with Lulu. It is not clear whether he had operated the profile in his name.

Sudan was entered a internal conflict in April 2023 when a brutal contest for control broke out between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.

It has caused a famine and accusations of genocide in the western Darfur region.

Over 150,000 persons have been killed in the fighting around the country, and roughly 12 million have fled their residences in what the United Nations has termed the biggest global humanitarian crisis.

The takeover of el-Fasher reinforces the territorial division in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in command of Sudan's west and a large portion of adjacent Kordofan to the south, and the army occupying the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the coastal region.

The two warring rivals had been allies - taking over together in a coup in 2021 - but fell out over an globally supported proposal to move towards civilian rule.

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