Over 36,000 Sudanese have escaped following fall of El Fasher to paramilitary group, says UN agency
More than 36,000 civilians have fled Sudan's Kordofan region east of Darfur since Saturday, according to the UN's immigration body.
The important central zone between the country's Darfur areas and the Khartoum-Riverine area has in recent weeks become the latest battleground in the 24-month civil conflict between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary group.
Massive Exodus Figures
An calculated 36,825 people fled five areas in North Kordofan state between 26 October and 31 October, as reported by the International Organization for Migration.
The individuals, primarily walking, moved toward Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently sheltering over 652,000 evacuated individuals.
Heightened Forces Deployment
Local inhabitants of North Kordofan on Monday noted a heavy surge in both RSF and army presence across towns and villages throughout the state.
Both military groups are competing for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a critical supply and command hub that connects Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here," said an RSF member in a recently circulated video statement.
Regional Citizens Report Safety Fears
A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the quantity of RSF vehicles had risen considerably since the group's seizure of El Fasher.
"We discontinued traveling to our farms, afraid of confrontations," the local commented.
Another civilian, who sought confidentiality for security reasons, 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 Calls
A senior UN official raised the alarm last week about "extensive crimes" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The official alerted to patterns similar to those in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been alleged to commit mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against certain racial groups.
The spiritual head on Sunday called for an prompt truce and the opening of aid passageways in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and obstacles to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and stated that the Sudanese government would not engage with the militia organization.
The representative further encouraged the world nations to categorize the group as a terrorist group.
