🔗 Share this article

Per the UN refugee agency, over 60,000 civilians have left the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the paramilitary RSF over the weekend.

Accounts suggest multiple executions and atrocities as paramilitary forces entered the city following an 18-month blockade marked by food shortages and sustained attacks.

The exodus of those fleeing the conflict towards the town of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had grown in the recent days, per United Nations refugee agency spokesperson.

They were telling terrible accounts of atrocities, such as rape, and the agency was struggling to locate sufficient housing and supplies for them.

Every child was suffering from malnutrition, she added.

It is estimated that over 150,000 individuals are currently trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's final bastion in the western part of Darfur.

The RSF has rejected extensive accusations that the deaths in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and resemble a pattern of the Arab paramilitaries focusing on non-Arab populations.

Nevertheless the RSF has detained one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of on-the-spot executions.

The organization distributed recordings showing the member's apprehension following verification that he was involved in the killing of numerous unarmed men near el-Fasher.

Digital platform has acknowledged that it has banned the profile connected to Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had operated the profile in his name.

Sudan was plunged into a civil war in April 2023 following a vicious contest for control began between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.

The conflict has led to a famine and claims of mass killing in the western Darfur region.

In excess of 150,000 individuals have lost their lives in the fighting around the country, and approximately 12 million have abandoned their residences in what the UN has called the biggest global humanitarian emergency.

The takeover of el-Fasher strengthens the territorial division in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in dominance of western Sudan and a large portion of adjacent Kordofan to the south, and the army holding the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the coastal region.

The two warring rivals had been partners - coming to power together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but fell out over an internationally backed plan to transition to civilian leadership.