🔗 Share this article More than 60,000 Run from Sudanese City In the wake of Capture by RSF Paramilitary Group, United Nations Reports Many are attempting to reach the settlement of Tawila but encounter harassment, extortion and abuse from fighters during their journey Per the UNHCR, in excess of 60,000 people have fled the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was seized by the militia Rapid Support Forces over the weekend. Reports indicate summary killings and crimes against humanity as militia members stormed the city following an 18-month siege characterized by famine and heavy bombardment. The exodus of those fleeing the conflict towards the town of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had grown in the recent days, per United Nations refugee agency spokesperson. Refugees were describing horrendous accounts of violence, such as rape, and the agency was finding it difficult to find adequate accommodation and supplies for them. All children was suffering from nutritional deficiencies, she added. Calculations indicate that over 150,000 people are presently stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the army's last stronghold in the western part of Darfur. The RSF has disputed broad claims that the deaths in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and follow a practice of the Arab paramilitaries targeting non-Arab communities. However the RSF has arrested one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been implicated in on-the-spot executions. The group released footage depicting the fighter's detention subsequent to identification that he was responsible for the killing of multiple unarmed men close to el-Fasher. Video sharing service has acknowledged that it has banned the channel associated with Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had controlled the account in his name. Sudan was plunged into a domestic fighting in April 2023 following a vicious struggle for power erupted between its army and the RSF. This has resulted in a food crisis and allegations of ethnic cleansing in the western Darfur region. More than 150,000 individuals have lost their lives in the conflict throughout the country, and roughly 12 million have left their homes in what the United Nations has called the most extensive humanitarian disaster. The takeover of el-Fasher strengthens the regional separation 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 military occupying the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the coastal region. The competing factions had been partners - taking over together in a coup in 2021 - but fell out over an foreign-endorsed initiative to move towards civilian leadership.