Mass execution, crimes against humanity reported in Sudan

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has said that more than 60,000 people have fled the town of El Fasher, which was seized by the Sudanese paramilitary RSF.

Media reports have said that there have been reports of mass execution and crimes against humanity since RSF fighters took control of the town after an 18-month siege, starvation and bombardment.

The UNHCR's Eugene Bayon said that in recent days, people have been fleeing the violence to the town of Tawila, 80 kilometers west of El Fasher.

They are describing horrific atrocities, including rape. The UN agency is struggling to provide adequate shelter and food for the people. Eugene Bayon says every child there is malnourished.

It is estimated that about 150,000 people are still trapped in El Fasher. It was the army's strongest stronghold in western Darfur. RSF has rejected allegations of ethnic cleansing in El-Fasher. El-Fasher has been accused of following a pattern in which Arab militias target 'non-Arab' populations.

RSF has detained one of its militia members, Abu Lulu, on charges of extrajudicial killings. The group shared footage of the fighter being detained after he was identified by BBC Verify as the man who killed several unarmed people.

TikTok confirmed to the BBC that it had suspended accounts linked to Lulu. It is not clear whether he himself controlled the accounts in his name.

Sudan has been embroiled in a civil war since April 2023, due to a power struggle between RSF and the army. This has led to famine and genocide in the western Darfur region.

The conflict has killed at least 150,000 people and displaced 12 million, the UN says.

The country is also on the verge of being divided geographically after the RSF took control of El-Fasher. The RSF now controls much of western Sudan and neighboring Kordofan.

The army, on the other hand, controls the capital, Khartoum, and the central and eastern regions bordering the Red Sea. The two warring parties were once allies. They came to power in a 2021 military coup.

But they have been at odds over an internationally-backed plan to transition the country to civilian rule.