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According to the UN refugee agency, over 60,000 civilians have left the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the militia RSF during the weekend.

There have been mass executions and crimes against humanity as militia members entered the city following an extended blockade marked by starvation and intense shelling.

The exodus of those fleeing the conflict towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had accelerated in the past few days, as stated by UNHCR representative.

Survivors were telling terrible accounts of violence, including rape, and the agency was finding it difficult to locate sufficient accommodation and nourishment for them.

All children was suffering from undernourishment, she added.

Calculations indicate that in excess of 150,000 individuals are still stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the army's last bastion in the western region of Darfur.

The Rapid Support Forces has rejected widespread claims that the deaths in el-Fasher are based on ethnic factors and follow a pattern of the Arab militia groups attacking ethnic minorities.

Nevertheless the RSF has arrested one of its fighters, Abu Lulu, who has been implicated in extrajudicial killings.

The force distributed recordings showing the militiaman's detention after confirmation that he was behind the killing of several civilians in the vicinity of el-Fasher.

Social media platform has verified that it has banned the channel connected to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had managed the account in his identity.

Sudan was entered a internal conflict in April 2023 after a vicious contest for control broke out between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.

This has led to a food crisis and accusations of mass killing in the Darfur area.

Over 150,000 persons have been killed in the war throughout the country, and about 12 million have abandoned their residences in what the UN has termed the biggest global humanitarian emergency.

The takeover of el-Fasher reinforces the regional separation in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in control of the western region and a large portion of neighbouring Kordofan to the south, and the army holding the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the coastal region.

The two warring rivals had been allies - taking over together in a coup in 2021 - but disagreed over an foreign-endorsed initiative to move towards civilian rule.