According to the UNHCR, more than 60,000 people have left the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the militia RSF over the weekend.
Reports indicate summary killings and human rights violations as militia members took control of the city after an 18-month siege characterized by starvation and intense shelling.
The flow of those escaping the conflict towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had increased in the past few days, per UNHCR spokesperson.
Refugees were telling shocking stories of atrocities, such as rape, and the agency was having trouble to locate sufficient shelter and supplies for them.
Each child was experiencing nutritional deficiencies, she commented.
Calculations indicate that in excess of 150,000 residents are currently unable to leave in el-Fasher, which had been the army's last stronghold in the western part of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has denied extensive accusations that the deaths in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and follow a trend of the Arab militia groups focusing on non-Arab communities.
Nevertheless the RSF has detained one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of summary executions.
The force shared video showing the militiaman's arrest following verification that he was involved in the execution of multiple non-combatants close to el-Fasher.
Digital platform has confirmed that it has banned the profile associated with Lulu. The status remains unclear whether he had managed the account in his identity.
Sudan was plunged into a civil war in April 2023 when a brutal power struggle erupted between its military and the Rapid Support Forces.
It has resulted in a food crisis and claims of ethnic cleansing in the Darfur area.
More than 150,000 individuals have died in the conflict throughout the country, and about 12 million have left their residences in what the United Nations has called the world's largest humanitarian crisis.
The capture of el-Fasher strengthens the geographic split in the country, with the Rapid Support Forces now in control of Sudan's west and significant areas of adjacent Kordofan to the south, and the military occupying the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the Red Sea.
The two warring rivals had been allies - gaining control together in a takeover in 2021 - but disagreed over an foreign-endorsed plan to transition to democratic governance.
