Over 60,000 Run from Sudanese City Following Seizure by Rapid Support Forces Militia, United Nations Says

Displaced people escaping conflict in the region
Many are attempting to get to the settlement of Tawila but encounter harassment, demands for money and abuse from armed men along the way

According to the United Nations refugee organization, in excess of 60,000 people have left the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was seized by the paramilitary RSF during the weekend.

Accounts suggest multiple executions and human rights violations as RSF fighters stormed the city after an extended encirclement featuring food shortages and heavy bombardment.

The movement of those escaping the fighting towards the community of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had grown in the last several days, per United Nations refugee agency representative.

Survivors were describing horrendous stories of atrocities, including sexual violence, and the organization was having trouble to locate enough accommodation and food for them.

Each child was suffering from undernourishment, she noted.

Estimates suggest that over 150,000 residents are currently unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the military's final stronghold in the western region of Darfur.

The RSF has denied broad accusations that the killings in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and mirror a practice of the Arab fighters targeting non-Arab communities.

Nevertheless the RSF has custodied one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with summary executions.

The force distributed footage revealing the militiaman's apprehension after confirmation that he was involved in the killing of multiple non-combatants near el-Fasher.

Video sharing service has confirmed that it has banned the account associated with Lulu. It is not clear whether he had controlled the account in his identity.

Sudan was thrown into a internal conflict in April 2023 when a brutal power struggle erupted between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.

It has led to a food crisis and accusations of mass killing in the western Sudan.

In excess of 150,000 people have been killed in the war around the country, and about 12 million have abandoned their dwellings in what the United Nations has called 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 much of neighbouring Kordofan to the south, and the army controlling the capital, 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 internationally backed initiative to advance to democratic governance.

Jason Gray
Jason Gray

A Berlin-based political analyst with over a decade of experience covering German and European affairs.