More than 60,000 Run from Sudanese City After Capture by RSF Paramilitary Group, United Nations States

Displaced people fleeing violence in the region
Many are attempting to reach the town of Tawila but face intimidation, extortion and abuse from armed men during their journey

As stated by the UN refugee agency, more than 60,000 people have fled the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces recently.

Accounts suggest multiple executions and human rights violations as paramilitary forces stormed the city following an 18-month siege characterized by food shortages and sustained attacks.

The movement of those running from the fighting towards the community of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had increased in the last several days, as stated by UNHCR representative.

Survivors were telling horrendous tales of abuses, including sexual violence, and the agency was having trouble to find sufficient shelter and food for them.

Every child was affected by malnutrition, she added.

Estimates suggest that more than 150,000 residents are presently unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the military's last bastion in the western part of Darfur.

The RSF has rejected widespread accusations that the executions in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and mirror a trend of the Arab paramilitaries targeting non-Arab populations.

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

The group distributed video revealing the member's arrest after identification that he was responsible for the death of numerous non-combatants close to el-Fasher.

Social media platform has verified that it has removed the account associated with Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had managed the account in his identity.

Sudan was entered a civil war in April 2023 after a intense power struggle erupted between its military and the RSF.

This has caused a starvation emergency and accusations of mass killing in the western Darfur region.

In excess of 150,000 persons have lost their lives in the conflict throughout the country, and about 12 million have abandoned their residences in what the UN has called the biggest global humanitarian emergency.

The capture of el-Fasher solidifies the territorial division in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in dominance of the western region and significant areas of neighbouring Kordofan to the south, and the military occupying the capital, Khartoum, the center and east along the Red Sea.

The two warring rivals had been allies - gaining control together in a takeover in 2021 - but fell out over an foreign-endorsed initiative to advance to civilian leadership.

Gabrielle Bowen PhD
Gabrielle Bowen PhD

A passionate traveler and writer sharing unique perspectives on global cultures and personal growth journeys.

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