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According to the UNHCR, in excess of 60,000 civilians have escaped the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was seized by the militia Rapid Support Forces recently.

Accounts suggest mass executions and human rights violations as paramilitary forces stormed the city following an year-and-a-half encirclement characterized by food shortages and intense shelling.

The flow of those escaping the fighting towards the community of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the last several days, per UNHCR spokesperson.

Refugees were narrating terrible stories of atrocities, including sexual violence, and the organization was struggling to secure adequate shelter and nourishment for them.

Every child was affected by undernourishment, she commented.

Calculations indicate that in excess of 150,000 residents are still unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the military's final bastion in the western region of Darfur.

The RSF has rejected widespread claims that the executions in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and follow a trend of the Arab militia groups focusing on ethnic minorities.

However the paramilitary group has detained one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of extrajudicial killings.

The organization shared footage depicting the fighter's detention following identification that he was responsible for the killing of multiple non-combatants near el-Fasher.

Video sharing service has acknowledged that it has removed the account associated with Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had operated the account in his name.

Sudan was thrown into a domestic fighting in April 2023 after a brutal contest for control broke out between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.

This has led to a starvation emergency and accusations of ethnic cleansing in the Darfur area.

Over 150,000 persons have died in the war across the country, and approximately 12 million have abandoned their residences in what the United Nations has described as the most extensive humanitarian disaster.

The seizure of el-Fasher strengthens the territorial division in the country, with the RSF now in control of Sudan's west and a large portion of neighbouring Kordofan to the south, and the military occupying the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the coastal region.

The competing factions had been collaborators - taking over together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but disagreed over an globally supported plan to transition to civilian leadership.