Over 60,000 Escape Sudanese City After Capture by RSF Militia, UN States

As stated by the UNHCR, over 60,000 civilians have fled the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was seized by the militia RSF during the weekend.

Accounts suggest summary killings and atrocities as RSF fighters stormed the city following an extended siege characterized by starvation and intense shelling.

The movement of those escaping the conflict towards the town of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had increased in the past few days, per United Nations refugee agency representative.

Survivors were narrating terrible tales of abuses, such as rape, and the agency was finding it difficult to find sufficient shelter and nourishment for them.

Each child was affected by nutritional deficiencies, she noted.

It is estimated that more than 150,000 individuals are currently trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's final stronghold in the western part of Darfur.

The Rapid Support Forces has disputed extensive allegations that the killings in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and mirror a trend of the Arab militia groups targeting non-Arab communities.

Yet the paramilitary group has detained one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with summary executions.

The force released recordings revealing the fighter's detention subsequent to identification that he was responsible for the killing of multiple non-combatants near el-Fasher.

Digital platform has confirmed that it has banned the profile associated with Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had managed the profile in his identity.

Sudan was plunged into a internal conflict in April 2023 following a brutal struggle for power broke out between its army and the RSF.

It has resulted in a starvation emergency and claims of ethnic cleansing in the western Darfur region.

More than 150,000 persons have lost their lives in the fighting across the country, and roughly 12 million have fled their homes in what the UN has called the biggest global humanitarian crisis.

The takeover of el-Fasher reinforces the territorial division in the country, with the RSF now in control of Sudan's west and much of adjacent Kordofan to the south, and the military occupying the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the coastal region.

The competing factions had been allies - gaining control together in a coup in 2021 - but split over an globally supported plan to transition to democratic governance.