More than 60,000 people have fled the Sudanese city of El-Fasher after it fell to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over the weekend, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says.
The city, the last major army stronghold in Darfur, was captured after an 18-month siege marked by starvation, intense bombardment, and severe shortages of humanitarian aid. Reports emerging from newly-arrived survivors point to mass executions, sexual violence, and other grave abuses as RSF fighters entered the city.
UNHCR spokesperson Eujin Byun told the BBC that terrified families were escaping on foot towards Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) away, with thousands arriving in recent days. Many are recounting harrowing experiences, including rape and the targeting of civilians.
Aid groups say they are struggling to shelter and feed the sudden influx of displaced people. Ms Byun said almost every child among the arrivals was suffering from malnutrition a stark sign of the conditions inside El-Fasher during the siege.
An estimated 150,000 people remain trapped in the city with dwindling access to food, medicine, and humanitarian support.
The RSF has denied accusations that the killings in El-Fasher are ethnically motivated, despite long-standing concerns that non-Arab communities in Darfur are being systematically targeted.
Sudan has been plunged into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises since the conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese army erupted in April 2023, displacing millions and leaving vast parts of the country on the brink of famine.