🔗 Share this article

According to the UNHCR, over 60,000 civilians have left the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was captured by the militia RSF during the weekend.

Accounts suggest summary killings and human rights violations as militia members took control of the city following an extended blockade characterized by food shortages and heavy bombardment.

The exodus of those escaping the conflict towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the last several days, per United Nations refugee agency spokesperson.

They were describing horrendous tales of abuses, such as rape, and the agency was finding it difficult to locate sufficient housing and nourishment for them.

All children was affected by malnutrition, she added.

Estimates suggest that more than 150,000 individuals are currently trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's remaining fortress in the western part of Darfur.

The RSF has denied extensive accusations that the killings in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and mirror a trend of the Arab militia groups targeting non-Arab communities.

Yet the paramilitary group has detained one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been implicated in extrajudicial killings.

The group distributed footage depicting the fighter's apprehension following verification that he was responsible for the execution of numerous civilians close to el-Fasher.

Digital platform has acknowledged that it has banned the profile associated with Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had controlled the account in his identity.

Sudan was entered a internal conflict in April 2023 following a vicious power struggle broke out between its army and the RSF.

It has resulted in a starvation emergency and allegations of genocide in the Darfur area.

More than 150,000 people have lost their lives in the fighting across the country, and roughly 12 million have left their dwellings in what the UN has described as the most extensive humanitarian emergency.

The takeover of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in dominance of the western region and a large portion of adjacent Kordofan to the southern area, and the military holding the main city, Khartoum, the center and east along the coastal region.

The two warring rivals had been partners - taking over together in a takeover in 2021 - but fell out over an foreign-endorsed initiative to move towards civilian leadership.