In excess of 60,000 Escape Sudanese City Following Seizure by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, UN Reports

Displaced people escaping violence in the region
Many are trying to get to the settlement of Tawila but face harassment, extortion and abuse from armed men during their journey

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

Reports indicate summary killings and atrocities as paramilitary forces took control of the city after an year-and-a-half encirclement marked by food shortages and sustained attacks.

The movement of those running from the violence towards the town of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the recent days, per United Nations refugee agency representative.

They were narrating terrible stories of atrocities, including rape, and the agency was having trouble to secure enough housing and food for them.

Each child was affected by malnutrition, she noted.

Estimates suggest that in excess of 150,000 residents are presently unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the army's last stronghold in the western region of Darfur.

The RSF has rejected broad accusations that the deaths in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and follow a practice of the Arab paramilitaries focusing on ethnic minorities.

Yet the RSF has custodied one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with on-the-spot executions.

The force distributed footage showing the militiaman's arrest following identification that he was responsible for the execution of several unarmed men close to el-Fasher.

Digital platform has acknowledged that it has removed the profile linked to Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had managed the profile in his identity.

Sudan was plunged into a domestic fighting in April 2023 when a brutal struggle for power broke out between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.

It has resulted in a starvation emergency and claims of mass killing in the western Darfur region.

In excess of 150,000 persons have been killed in the conflict around the country, and about 12 million have abandoned their residences in what the United Nations has termed the most extensive humanitarian disaster.

The takeover of el-Fasher strengthens the territorial division in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in dominance of Sudan's west and a large portion of neighbouring Kordofan to the south, and the military holding the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the Red Sea.

The competing factions had been collaborators - coming to power together in a coup in 2021 - but split over an foreign-endorsed proposal to advance to democratic governance.

Michael Gonzalez
Michael Gonzalez

A tech journalist and AI researcher with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and their impact on society.