Over 36,000 Sudanese have evacuated since capture of El Fasher to RSF, says UN agency
Over 36,000 individuals have evacuated from Sudan's Kordofan region eastern part of Darfur beginning Saturday, as stated by the UN's migration organization.
The key central region between the country's Darfur provinces and the Khartoum-Riverine area has in recent weeks become the latest battleground in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary group.
Significant Exodus Numbers
An estimated 36,825 people escaped five localities in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, as reported by the International Organization for Migration.
The civilians, primarily walking, headed to Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently housing over 652,000 refugees.
Increased Troop Concentration
Residents of North Kordofan on Monday described a heavy surge in both RSF and army presence across towns and villages throughout the state.
Both military groups are vying for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital and a critical supply and command hub that joins Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have assembled at the Bara front here," stated an RSF member in a recently circulated video declaration.
Area Residents Report Safety Fears
A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the number of RSF vehicles had increased substantially since the group's seizure of El Fasher.
"We discontinued traveling to our farms, afraid of fighting," the local explained.
Another resident, who asked to remain unnamed for security reasons, also indicated that "there has been a substantial growth in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the previous fortnight.
World Concerns and Requests
A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "extensive crimes" and "race-driven revenge attacks" by RSF in Bara.
The representative warned of patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.
The spiritual head on Sunday appealed for an prompt truce and the creation of aid passageways in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and obstacles to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's ambassador to Egypt on Sunday charged RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and announced that the Sudanese government would not engage with the paramilitary group.
The diplomat further called on the international community to categorize the group as a terrorist entity.
