🔗 Share this article

According to the United Nations refugee organization, in excess of 60,000 people have fled the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was seized by the paramilitary RSF over the weekend.

Reports indicate multiple executions and human rights violations as militia members took control of the city after an 18-month encirclement marked by starvation and sustained attacks.

The exodus of those escaping the fighting towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had increased in the past few days, as stated by United Nations refugee agency representative.

Survivors were narrating shocking stories of violence, such as rape, and the agency was struggling to locate adequate housing and supplies for them.

All children was experiencing undernourishment, she added.

Estimates suggest that in excess of 150,000 individuals are still stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the military's last fortress in the western region of Darfur.

The RSF has disputed widespread claims that the deaths in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and resemble a trend of the Arab militia groups focusing on non-Arab populations.

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

The organization released footage showing the militiaman's arrest subsequent to verification that he was behind the killing of multiple non-combatants close to el-Fasher.

Digital platform has acknowledged that it has banned the profile linked to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had controlled the profile in his identity.

Sudan was thrown into a civil war in April 2023 after a intense struggle for power broke out between its military and the RSF.

This has caused a food crisis and accusations of ethnic cleansing in the western Darfur region.

Over 150,000 individuals have been killed in the war around the country, and roughly 12 million have fled their residences in what the UN has called the world's largest humanitarian emergency.

The takeover of el-Fasher strengthens the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in control of Sudan's west and much of neighbouring Kordofan to the southern area, and the military occupying the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the Red Sea.

The two warring rivals had been collaborators - coming to power together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but disagreed over an globally supported initiative to move towards civilian rule.