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According to the United Nations refugee organization, more than 60,000 civilians have left the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was captured by the militia Rapid Support Forces over the weekend.

Accounts suggest multiple executions and crimes against humanity as RSF fighters entered the city after an 18-month siege featuring starvation and heavy bombardment.

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

They were narrating horrendous stories of abuses, including rape, and the agency was struggling to locate adequate housing and nourishment for them.

Every child was affected by undernourishment, she noted.

Estimates suggest that over 150,000 residents are currently trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's remaining fortress in the western region of Darfur.

The RSF has rejected widespread claims that the deaths in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and resemble a pattern of the Arab fighters targeting non-Arab communities.

Nevertheless the paramilitary group has arrested one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with extrajudicial killings.

The organization distributed recordings revealing the militiaman's detention after identification that he was behind the death of several unarmed men close to el-Fasher.

Digital platform has verified that it has removed the account linked to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had operated the profile in his name.

Sudan was thrown into a domestic fighting in April 2023 when a intense power struggle broke out between its military and the RSF.

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

More than 150,000 persons have lost their lives in the fighting throughout the country, and approximately 12 million have fled their residences in what the UN has called the biggest global humanitarian emergency.

The seizure of el-Fasher solidifies the geographic split in the country, with the RSF now in command of western Sudan and much of neighbouring Kordofan to the southern area, and the army occupying the main city, Khartoum, the center and east along the Red Sea.

The two warring rivals had been allies - gaining control together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but fell out over an foreign-endorsed initiative to move towards civilian leadership.