More than 60,000 Run from Sudan's City In the wake of Takeover by Rapid Support Forces Paramilitary Group, UN Reports

According to the UN refugee agency, more than 60,000 people have escaped the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was captured by the paramilitary RSF recently.

Accounts suggest multiple executions and human rights violations as paramilitary forces entered the city following an year-and-a-half blockade characterized by food shortages and sustained attacks.

The movement of those fleeing the fighting towards the town of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had increased in the last several days, according to United Nations refugee agency representative.

They were narrating shocking tales of violence, including sexual violence, and the agency was struggling to locate enough accommodation and food for them.

Every child was affected by nutritional deficiencies, she commented.

Estimates suggest that in excess of 150,000 residents are still trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's last bastion in the western part of Darfur.

The Rapid Support Forces has denied broad claims that the executions in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and resemble a trend of the Arab paramilitaries focusing on ethnic minorities.

However the paramilitary group has arrested one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of on-the-spot executions.

The force distributed recordings showing the member's apprehension after identification that he was responsible for the killing of numerous civilians near el-Fasher.

Social media platform has verified that it has suspended the account connected to Lulu. It is not clear whether he had operated the profile in his identity.

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

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

In excess of 150,000 persons have died in the fighting across the country, and approximately 12 million have abandoned their dwellings in what the United Nations has described as the most extensive humanitarian disaster.

The seizure of el-Fasher strengthens the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in command of western Sudan and a large portion of adjacent Kordofan to the southern area, and the army occupying the main city, Khartoum, the center and east along the coastal region.

The competing factions had been partners - taking over together in a takeover in 2021 - but fell out over an internationally backed initiative to advance to civilian leadership.