🔗 Share this article More than 60,000 Flee Sudan's City In the wake of Capture by Rapid Support Forces Militia, United Nations Reports Many are attempting to get to the settlement of Tawila but encounter harassment, extortion and abuse from fighters along the way Per the UNHCR, in excess of 60,000 individuals have left the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the militia RSF over the weekend. Reports indicate mass executions and atrocities as militia members entered the city after an extended encirclement featuring food shortages and intense shelling. The exodus of those running from the violence towards the community of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had increased in the last several days, as stated by UNHCR spokesperson. Refugees were narrating horrendous accounts of violence, including sexual violence, and the humanitarian group was struggling to locate enough shelter and supplies for them. Every child was suffering from undernourishment, she commented. Calculations indicate that over 150,000 residents are currently trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's last fortress in the western region of Darfur. The Rapid Support Forces has rejected broad claims that the executions in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and resemble a practice of the Arab fighters attacking non-Arab communities. Nevertheless the RSF has arrested one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with on-the-spot executions. The group distributed video depicting the fighter's detention subsequent to identification that he was responsible for the death of several unarmed men near el-Fasher. Social media platform has confirmed that it has removed the profile 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 contest for control began between its army and the Rapid Support Forces. This has led to a famine and allegations of mass killing in the western Darfur region. More than 150,000 individuals have lost their lives in the fighting across the country, and approximately 12 million have abandoned their homes in what the United Nations has called the world's largest humanitarian disaster. The seizure of el-Fasher reinforces the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in command of western Sudan and much of bordering Kordofan to the south, and the military holding the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the Red Sea. The competing factions had been partners - coming to power together in a coup in 2021 - but disagreed over an internationally backed plan to transition to civilian leadership.