In excess of 60,000 Escape Sudanese City Following Takeover by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, United Nations Reports

Displaced people fleeing violence in Sudan
Numerous are attempting to get to the town of Tawila but encounter intimidation, demands for money and abuse from fighters along the way

As stated by the UNHCR, in excess of 60,000 individuals have escaped the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was seized by the militia Rapid Support Forces during the weekend.

There have been mass executions and human rights violations as militia members stormed the city following an extended blockade featuring famine and heavy bombardment.

The flow of those escaping the fighting towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had grown in the past few days, per United Nations refugee agency spokesperson.

Survivors were telling terrible stories of abuses, featuring rape, and the humanitarian group was struggling to find enough shelter and food for them.

All children was experiencing undernourishment, she commented.

Estimates suggest that in excess of 150,000 residents are still unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the army's final fortress in the western part of Darfur.

The RSF has rejected broad accusations that the killings in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and resemble a trend of the Arab militia groups attacking non-Arab communities.

However the RSF has custodied one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of summary executions.

The organization shared recordings revealing the member's arrest after identification that he was responsible for the death of several non-combatants close to el-Fasher.

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

Sudan was plunged into a civil war in April 2023 when a brutal struggle for power began between its army and the Rapid Support Forces.

It has caused a starvation emergency and claims of genocide in the western Darfur region.

Over 150,000 people have lost their lives in the conflict around the country, and approximately 12 million have abandoned their homes in what the UN has termed the world's largest humanitarian emergency.

The takeover of el-Fasher reinforces the territorial division in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in dominance of the western region and significant areas of bordering Kordofan to the southern area, and the military controlling the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the Red Sea.

The opposing sides had been collaborators - taking over together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but split over an globally supported plan to advance to civilian rule.

Russell King
Russell King

A digital strategist and tech writer with over a decade of experience in software development and emerging technologies.