Over 60,000 Run from Sudan's City After Takeover by RSF Militia, UN Says

According to the UN refugee agency, more than 60,000 people have left the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was captured by the paramilitary RSF during the weekend.

Reports indicate multiple executions and human rights violations as paramilitary forces took control of the city following an 18-month encirclement characterized by food shortages and heavy bombardment.

The flow of those escaping the fighting towards the community of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had increased in the recent days, according to United Nations refugee agency representative.

Refugees were narrating horrendous accounts of atrocities, such as rape, and the agency was struggling to locate enough accommodation and supplies for them.

Each child was experiencing nutritional deficiencies, she commented.

Estimates suggest that more than 150,000 individuals are currently unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the army's last fortress in the western part of Darfur.

The Rapid Support Forces has denied widespread accusations that the killings in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and resemble a practice of the Arab militia groups targeting ethnic minorities.

Nevertheless the RSF has arrested one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been implicated in on-the-spot executions.

The organization shared footage depicting the member's apprehension subsequent to confirmation that he was responsible for the killing of multiple civilians close to el-Fasher.

Social media platform has confirmed that it has suspended the channel connected to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had operated the profile in his name.

Sudan was thrown into a civil war in April 2023 after a intense contest for control erupted between its army and the Rapid Support Forces.

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

More than 150,000 persons have been killed in the conflict throughout the country, and about 12 million have abandoned their homes in what the UN has described as the most extensive humanitarian disaster.

The takeover of el-Fasher reinforces the geographic split in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in dominance of Sudan's west and significant areas of adjacent Kordofan to the southern area, and the military occupying the main city, Khartoum, the center and east along the coastal region.

The two warring rivals had been collaborators - gaining control together in a takeover in 2021 - but split over an foreign-endorsed initiative to move towards democratic governance.