More than 60,000 residents have fled the Sudanese city of el-Fasher after it was seized by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over the weekend, the UN refugee agency has reported.
UNHCR’s Eujin Byun described the surge of displaced people heading west to Tawila, around 80km from el-Fasher, following the capture.
“They are narrating horrendous stories of atrocities, including rape. Every child is suffering from malnutrition, and we are struggling to provide enough shelter and food,” Byun said.
The city, once the army’s last stronghold in western Darfur, had been under an 18-month siege marked by bombardment and starvation. UN officials estimate that more than 150,000 people remain trapped in el-Fasher, facing severe humanitarian crises.
Reports indicate mass executions and crimes against humanity during the RSF’s takeover. The RSF has denied targeting non-Arab populations ethnically, though one militiaman, Abu Lulu, was detained after being linked to multiple summary executions in the city. Footage released by the RSF shows his arrest, and TikTok has since banned an account associated with him.
Sudan’s conflict erupted in April 2023, after a violent power struggle between the army and RSF, former allies who took power in a 2021 coup. The civil war has resulted in over 150,000 deaths and displaced approximately 12 million people, creating what the UN calls the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
The fall of el-Fasher solidifies the country’s geographic split, with RSF controlling western Sudan and Kordofan, while the army maintains control over Khartoum, central, and eastern regions along the Red Sea.
International observers warn that the ongoing crisis in Darfur reflects escalating ethnic and political violence, with civilians continuing to bear the brunt of the conflict’s devastating consequences.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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