More than 60,000 Flee Sudan's City After Seizure by Rapid Support Forces Militia, UN Says

According to the UN refugee agency, in excess of 60,000 people have escaped the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was captured by the militia RSF over the weekend.

There have been multiple executions and human rights violations as militia members took control of the city following an year-and-a-half blockade marked by famine and heavy bombardment.

The flow of those running from the fighting towards the community of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had increased in the past few days, per UNHCR representative.

Survivors were narrating horrendous accounts of violence, featuring sexual violence, and the organization was having trouble to locate enough shelter and food for them.

Every child was suffering from undernourishment, she added.

Estimates suggest that more than 150,000 residents are presently trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the military's remaining fortress in the western part of Darfur.

The RSF has rejected broad allegations that the killings in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and resemble a pattern of the Arab paramilitaries attacking ethnic minorities.

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

The group released video depicting the member's arrest after verification that he was involved in the death of several civilians close to el-Fasher.

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

Sudan was plunged into a internal conflict in April 2023 following a brutal struggle for power began between its military and the RSF.

It has resulted in a food crisis and accusations of ethnic cleansing in the Darfur area.

More than 150,000 individuals have died in the fighting throughout the country, and about 12 million have abandoned their homes in what the UN has termed the most extensive humanitarian disaster.

The seizure of el-Fasher solidifies the geographic split in the country, with the RSF now in command of Sudan's west and significant areas of adjacent Kordofan to the south, and the military controlling the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the coastal region.

The two warring rivals had been allies - gaining control together in a takeover in 2021 - but split over an internationally backed proposal to advance to civilian leadership.