In excess of 60,000 Escape Sudan's City In the wake of Capture by RSF Militia, United Nations Reports

Displaced people fleeing violence in Sudan
Many are attempting to reach the settlement of Tawila but face intimidation, demands for money and abuse from armed men during their journey

According to the UN refugee agency, more than 60,000 people have left the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was seized by the militia RSF over the weekend.

There have been multiple executions and atrocities as paramilitary forces stormed the city following an year-and-a-half siege marked by famine and sustained attacks.

The movement of those running from the violence towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had grown in the last several days, per United Nations refugee agency spokesperson.

Refugees were narrating terrible stories of abuses, such as rape, and the agency was having trouble to find adequate shelter and food for them.

Each child was suffering from nutritional deficiencies, she added.

Estimates suggest that over 150,000 individuals are currently unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the army's last fortress in the western part of Darfur.

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

However the RSF has custodied one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of extrajudicial killings.

The force shared footage depicting the fighter's apprehension after confirmation that he was behind the execution of multiple civilians near el-Fasher.

Video sharing service has verified that it has banned the channel linked to Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had operated the profile in his name.

Sudan was plunged into a internal conflict in April 2023 following a vicious power struggle erupted between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.

This has caused a famine and allegations of mass killing in the Darfur area.

Over 150,000 people have been killed in the fighting throughout the country, and approximately 12 million have left their residences in what the UN has described as the world's largest humanitarian disaster.

The seizure of el-Fasher strengthens the geographic split in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in dominance of the western region and much of neighbouring Kordofan to the southern area, and the military holding the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the Red Sea.

The two warring rivals had been partners - gaining control together in a coup in 2021 - but split over an foreign-endorsed proposal to advance to democratic governance.

Brent Thomas
Brent Thomas

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