Over 60,000 Run from Sudan's City Following Seizure by RSF Militia, United Nations States

Displaced people fleeing violence in Sudan
Numerous are attempting to reach the settlement of Tawila but experience harassment, extortion and mistreatment from fighters along the way

Per the United Nations refugee organization, more than 60,000 individuals have escaped the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was captured by the paramilitary RSF over the weekend.

There have been summary killings and atrocities as RSF fighters stormed the city following an extended blockade marked by starvation and intense shelling.

The movement of those running from the violence towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the past few days, per UNHCR spokesperson.

They were narrating shocking accounts of violence, such as sexual violence, and the agency was struggling to locate adequate housing and nourishment for them.

All children was experiencing undernourishment, she added.

It is estimated that more than 150,000 individuals are still unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the military's remaining stronghold in the western part of Darfur.

The RSF has denied broad allegations that the killings in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and mirror a practice of the Arab fighters focusing on non-Arab populations.

Nevertheless the RSF has custodied one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been implicated in extrajudicial killings.

The force distributed video depicting the member's detention after confirmation that he was behind the killing of multiple unarmed men near el-Fasher.

Video sharing service has verified that it has removed the channel connected to Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had managed the profile in his identity.

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

This has led to a famine and claims of genocide in the Darfur area.

More than 150,000 individuals have died in the fighting around the country, and roughly 12 million have left their homes in what the United Nations has termed the world's largest humanitarian disaster.

The takeover of el-Fasher strengthens the territorial division in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in control of the western region and much of adjacent Kordofan to the southern area, and the army holding the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the Red Sea.

The opposing sides had been allies - coming to power together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but fell out over an globally supported initiative to move towards civilian rule.

Danielle Mcgrath
Danielle Mcgrath

A passionate gamer and strategy guide writer with years of experience in mobile gaming communities.