In excess of 60,000 Escape Sudan's City After Capture by RSF Militia, UN States
As stated by the UNHCR, more than 60,000 individuals have left the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was seized by the militia Rapid Support Forces over the weekend.
Reports indicate summary killings and crimes against humanity as militia members entered the city following an 18-month encirclement characterized by food shortages and intense shelling.
The movement of those escaping the fighting towards the community of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had grown in the recent days, according to UNHCR representative.
Refugees were describing shocking tales of violence, featuring rape, and the humanitarian group was struggling to find enough accommodation and food for them.
All children was affected by malnutrition, she commented.
It is estimated that more than 150,000 residents are currently stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the army's last fortress in the western part of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has denied widespread allegations that the executions in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and resemble a pattern of the Arab paramilitaries targeting non-Arab communities.
Yet the paramilitary group has arrested one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of extrajudicial killings.
The organization released video depicting the militiaman's apprehension after verification that he was responsible for the death of several non-combatants in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Social media platform has acknowledged that it has banned the account associated with Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had controlled the account in his name.
Sudan was thrown into a civil war in April 2023 after a brutal contest for control erupted between its army and the RSF.
It has caused a food crisis and accusations of ethnic cleansing in the Darfur area.
More than 150,000 persons have died in the war across the country, and about 12 million have left their homes in what the UN has termed the most extensive humanitarian crisis.
The takeover of el-Fasher reinforces the regional separation in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in command of the western region and a large portion of adjacent Kordofan to the south, and the military holding the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the Red Sea.
The opposing sides had been collaborators - coming to power together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but split over an internationally backed initiative to transition to civilian leadership.