🔗 Share this article Over 60,000 Run from Sudan's City After Capture by RSF Militia, UN Reports Numerous are attempting to reach the town of Tawila but experience intimidation, extortion and abuse from armed men during their journey According to the United Nations refugee organization, more than 60,000 individuals have escaped the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was captured by the paramilitary RSF recently. Accounts suggest summary killings and crimes against humanity as militia members stormed the city following an extended siege marked by food shortages and heavy bombardment. The movement of those escaping the conflict towards the town of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had grown in the past few days, according to United Nations refugee agency spokesperson. Refugees were telling shocking tales of abuses, such as sexual violence, and the organization was having trouble to locate sufficient housing and food for them. All children was experiencing malnutrition, she added. Estimates suggest that more than 150,000 people are still unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the army's remaining bastion in the western region of Darfur. The RSF has rejected widespread accusations that the killings in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and resemble a practice of the Arab paramilitaries targeting ethnic minorities. Nevertheless the RSF has custodied one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been implicated in extrajudicial killings. The organization shared recordings depicting the member's detention subsequent to verification that he was behind the execution of numerous civilians in the vicinity of el-Fasher. Digital platform has confirmed that it has removed the profile linked to Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had managed the profile in his identity. Sudan was thrown into a civil war in April 2023 when a intense struggle for power erupted between its military and the Rapid Support Forces. This has caused a famine and allegations of ethnic cleansing in the western Sudan. More than 150,000 persons have lost their lives in the fighting across the country, and about 12 million have left their homes in what the United Nations has termed the biggest global humanitarian disaster. The seizure of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in dominance of Sudan's west and significant areas of neighbouring Kordofan to the southern area, and the army controlling the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the coastal region. The opposing sides had been partners - coming to power together in a coup in 2021 - but disagreed over an internationally backed initiative to advance to democratic governance.