Over 60,000 Run from Sudan's City In the wake of Seizure by RSF Paramilitary Group, UN Says

Refugees escaping violence in Sudan
Numerous are trying to get to the settlement of Tawila but encounter intimidation, extortion and mistreatment from militiamen along the way

According to the UN refugee agency, more than 60,000 individuals have fled the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the paramilitary RSF during the weekend.

Accounts suggest multiple executions and human rights violations as RSF fighters stormed the city following an year-and-a-half encirclement marked by food shortages and intense shelling.

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

Refugees were narrating shocking accounts of violence, featuring rape, and the agency was finding it difficult to find adequate shelter and nourishment for them.

Each child was suffering from malnutrition, she added.

Calculations indicate that in excess of 150,000 residents are currently stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the military's remaining bastion in the western region of Darfur.

The Rapid Support Forces has rejected widespread allegations that the killings in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and resemble a trend of the Arab militia groups attacking non-Arab populations.

Nevertheless the paramilitary group has detained one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been implicated in summary executions.

The group released footage revealing the militiaman's detention subsequent to verification that he was involved in the execution of several civilians close to el-Fasher.

Social media platform has acknowledged that it has removed the profile associated with Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had controlled the account in his name.

Sudan was entered a internal conflict in April 2023 following a vicious contest for control began between its army and the RSF.

The conflict has led to a starvation emergency and claims of ethnic cleansing in the western Sudan.

More than 150,000 individuals have lost their lives in the fighting throughout the country, and about 12 million have abandoned their dwellings in what the UN has described as the biggest global humanitarian disaster.

The seizure of el-Fasher reinforces the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in command of Sudan's west and significant areas of neighbouring Kordofan to the southern area, and the military occupying the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the coastal region.

The competing factions had been allies - gaining control together in a coup in 2021 - but split over an foreign-endorsed proposal to transition to democratic governance.

Lee Alvarez
Lee Alvarez

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