🔗 Share this article Over 60,000 Run from Sudanese City Following Takeover by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, United Nations Says Numerous are attempting to get to the settlement of Tawila but experience harassment, extortion and abuse from armed men along the way Per the UNHCR, over 60,000 individuals have left the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was captured by the militia Rapid Support Forces recently. Reports indicate summary killings and human rights violations as militia members entered the city following an year-and-a-half blockade characterized by famine and heavy bombardment. The exodus of those running from the violence towards the town of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the recent days, per United Nations refugee agency spokesperson. They were describing horrendous stories of atrocities, including rape, and the agency was having trouble to find sufficient housing and supplies for them. Each child was affected by undernourishment, she noted. Estimates suggest that more than 150,000 residents are still stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the military's last fortress in the western region of Darfur. The Rapid Support Forces has denied broad allegations that the killings in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and follow a trend of the Arab militia groups targeting non-Arab communities. However the paramilitary group has custodied one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been implicated in extrajudicial killings. The force shared footage showing the fighter's arrest following verification that he was involved in the killing of multiple civilians in the vicinity of el-Fasher. Social media platform has confirmed that it has suspended the account linked to Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had operated the profile in his name. Sudan was plunged into a domestic fighting in April 2023 following a vicious power struggle began between its army and the Rapid Support Forces. It has caused a food crisis and allegations of mass killing in the western Sudan. Over 150,000 individuals have lost their lives in the conflict across the country, and roughly 12 million have left their residences in what the United Nations has called the most extensive humanitarian disaster. The takeover of el-Fasher solidifies the territorial division in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in command of the western region and significant areas of adjacent Kordofan to the southern area, and the army occupying the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the Red Sea. The two warring rivals had been collaborators - taking over together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but disagreed over an globally supported initiative to transition to civilian leadership.