At least 36,000 Sudanese people have escaped after takeover of El Fasher to RSF, states UN agency
In excess of 36,000 people have evacuated from Sudan's Kordofan area eastern part of Darfur since Saturday, as reported by the UN's migration agency.
The important central zone separating the country's Darfur regions and the Khartoum-Riverine area has over recent weeks become the latest battleground in the extended civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary group.
Substantial Evacuation Numbers
An estimated 36,825 people escaped five districts in North Kordofan region between 26 October and 31 October, per data from the International Organization for Migration.
The people, primarily walking, traveled to Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently accommodating more than 652,000 displaced people.
Increased Military Presence
Local inhabitants of North Kordofan on Monday noted a substantial rise in both RSF and army deployment across urban and rural areas throughout the state.
Both military groups are competing for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital and a key logistics and command center that joins Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here," said an RSF member in a recently distributed video declaration.
Area Inhabitants Describe Safety Fears
A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the quantity of RSF vehicles had risen significantly since the group's takeover of El Fasher.
"We stopped going to our farms, afraid of clashes," the individual explained.
Another civilian, who requested anonymity for safety concerns, also confirmed that "there has been a significant rise in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the past two weeks.
World Warnings and Appeals
A senior UN official expressed concerns last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The official cautioned about patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against certain racial groups.
The religious leader on Sunday urged an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and obstacles to humanitarian aid "are causing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's diplomatic representative to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not engage with the armed faction.
The representative further called on the global community to classify the group as a terrorist entity.