Over 60,000 Flee Sudanese City Following Seizure by RSF Militia, United Nations States

Displaced people escaping conflict in Sudan
Many are trying to get to the town of Tawila but experience intimidation, extortion and abuse from armed men along the way

Per the United Nations refugee organization, in excess of 60,000 individuals have fled the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the paramilitary RSF over the weekend.

There have been multiple executions and atrocities as RSF fighters stormed the city following an extended encirclement featuring food shortages and sustained attacks.

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

They were telling shocking accounts of abuses, such as sexual violence, and the humanitarian group was finding it difficult to find enough housing and supplies for them.

Every child was affected by undernourishment, she noted.

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

The RSF has denied widespread claims that the killings in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and follow a trend of the Arab fighters targeting non-Arab communities.

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

The force released footage showing the fighter's apprehension subsequent to identification that he was responsible for the killing of several non-combatants close to el-Fasher.

Video sharing service has acknowledged that it has suspended the account linked to Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had managed the account in his name.

Sudan was plunged into a domestic fighting in April 2023 when a intense struggle for power broke out between its army and the RSF.

It has led to a famine and claims of ethnic cleansing in the western Sudan.

More than 150,000 people have lost their lives in the war across the country, and about 12 million have fled their dwellings in what the United Nations has termed the world's largest humanitarian disaster.

The takeover of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in control of Sudan's west and much of adjacent Kordofan to the southern area, and the army occupying the capital, Khartoum, the center and east along the coastal region.

The two warring rivals had been collaborators - coming to power together in a takeover in 2021 - but fell out over an foreign-endorsed plan to move towards civilian rule.

Regina Anderson
Regina Anderson

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