More than 60,000 people have fled El-Fasher, acity in western Sudan, following its capture by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
The RSF took control of the city after an 18-month siege, marked by starvation, bombings, and alleged mass executions. Witnesses fleeing to Tawila, around 80 km west of El-Fasher, have reported widespread atrocities, including rap. UNHCR spokesperson, Eujin Byun said the agency is overwhelmed and struggling to provide enough shelter and food. She added that many children are suffering from malnutrition.
Despite RSF denials, human rights groups allege the violence is ethnically targeted, a claim that mirrors past patterns in the Darfur conflict. The RSF has detained one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, accused of executing unarmed civilians near El-Fasher. BBC Verify had identified him, prompting his arrest. TikTok has since banned the account linked to him, though it’s unclear who operated it.
El-Fasher was the Sudanese army’s last stronghold in Darfur, and an estimated 150,000 civilians remain trapped in the city.
Sudan has been gripped by civil war since April 2023, when power struggles between the RSF and the army erupted. The conflict has led to famine, allegations of genocide, over 150,000 deaths, and the displacement of 12 million people making it the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, according to the UN.
With the fall of El-Fasher, the RSF now controls much of western Sudan and parts of Kordofan, while the army remains in charge of Khartoum, the east, and Red Sea areas. The two factions were former allies in a 2021 coup, but split over a stalled transition to civilian rule.
