More than 60,000 Escape Sudanese City After Takeover by Rapid Support Forces Militia, UN Says

Displaced people fleeing conflict in Sudan
Numerous are attempting to reach the town of Tawila but encounter harassment, extortion and mistreatment from armed men along the way

Per the UNHCR, more than 60,000 people have escaped the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was seized by the militia RSF during the weekend.

There have been summary killings and human rights violations as paramilitary forces took control of the city after an year-and-a-half encirclement featuring food shortages and sustained attacks.

The exodus of those fleeing the conflict towards the community of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the last several days, according to United Nations refugee agency representative.

Refugees were describing shocking tales of abuses, featuring sexual violence, and the humanitarian group was struggling to locate enough accommodation and nourishment for them.

All children was suffering from malnutrition, she commented.

Calculations indicate that more than 150,000 people are presently unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the army's remaining bastion in the western region of Darfur.

The Rapid Support Forces has denied widespread claims that the executions in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and follow a practice of the Arab paramilitaries targeting non-Arab communities.

Nevertheless the paramilitary group has arrested one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with extrajudicial killings.

The organization distributed recordings revealing the member's detention following confirmation that he was involved in the death of numerous unarmed men near el-Fasher.

Video sharing service has verified that it has banned the profile connected to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had operated the profile in his identity.

Sudan was plunged into a internal conflict in April 2023 when a intense struggle for power erupted between its army and the Rapid Support Forces.

It has led to a starvation emergency and allegations of ethnic cleansing in the western Darfur region.

In excess of 150,000 persons have lost their lives in the fighting around the country, and about 12 million have left their dwellings in what the United Nations has termed the world's largest humanitarian disaster.

The capture of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in dominance of western Sudan and a large portion of neighbouring Kordofan to the south, and the army occupying the capital, Khartoum, the center and east along the coastal region.

The competing factions had been partners - gaining control together in a takeover in 2021 - but disagreed over an internationally backed plan to transition to civilian rule.

Julia Lopez
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