More than 60,000 Escape Sudan's City After Seizure by RSF Militia, United Nations States

According to the UNHCR, in excess of 60,000 individuals have escaped the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the paramilitary RSF recently.

Reports indicate multiple executions and atrocities as militia members stormed the city after an extended blockade characterized by food shortages and sustained attacks.

The flow of those running from the violence towards the community of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had increased in the recent days, as stated by United Nations refugee agency representative.

They were describing horrendous accounts of atrocities, featuring rape, and the agency was finding it difficult to find sufficient housing and food for them.

Each child was suffering from nutritional deficiencies, she noted.

Calculations indicate that more than 150,000 people are still unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the military's final bastion in the western part of Darfur.

The RSF has rejected widespread claims that the executions in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and resemble a practice of the Arab militia groups attacking non-Arab communities.

However the paramilitary group has custodied one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with extrajudicial killings.

The force distributed video revealing the fighter's detention following verification that he was responsible for the killing of several unarmed men close to el-Fasher.

Video sharing service has acknowledged that it has banned the channel connected to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had controlled the account in his identity.

Sudan was thrown into a civil war in April 2023 when a brutal contest for control broke out between its army and the RSF.

It has led to a food crisis and accusations of genocide in the Darfur area.

In excess of 150,000 people have died in the conflict around the country, and about 12 million have left their dwellings in what the UN has termed the biggest global humanitarian disaster.

The takeover of el-Fasher reinforces the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in control of the western region and much of bordering Kordofan to the south, and the army holding the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the Red Sea.

The two warring rivals had been partners - taking over together in a takeover in 2021 - but split over an foreign-endorsed initiative to transition to democratic governance.