More than 70 people have been killed following a drone strike on a mosque in Sudan's Darfur region, a senior medical source has told the BBC.

Friday's attack in the city of el-Fasher has been blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), but the group has not taken responsibility.

The RSF and the army have been engaged in a ferocious civil war for more than two years.

The paramilitaries are gaining ground as they fight to seize complete control of el-Fasher - the last army stronghold in Darfur and home to more than 300,000 civilians who have been trapped by the fighting.

One resident told the BBC the drone struck during morning prayers, killing dozens of people instantly.

The medical source said 78 died and about 20 were injured, but the process of extracting the bodies from the rubble of the building was still ongoing.

According to the unit, satellite pictures also show the RSF has entered the headquarters of the Joint Forces, a collective of armed groups allied to the Sudanese army.

These apparent advances would place el-Fasher's airport and the army's division headquarters within direct RSF firing range.

A full RSF capture of the city would cement the group's control of the western part of the country and reinforce a de facto split, with the army in control of the north and east.

Sudan analysts and activists fear that the paramilitary group will target the civilians still in the city, most of whom belong to ethnic groups they see as its enemies.

The UN has warned of the increasing ethnicisation of the conflict, noting attacks on people accused of collaborating with opposing parties.

Reports have documented a systematic RSF policy of ethnic cleansing against non-Arab communities in areas they conquer.

In a recent report, the medical charity Doctors Without Borders indicated that RSF troops have discussed plans to clean El Fasher of its non-Arab population.