Over 36,000 Sudanese citizens have evacuated since fall of El Fasher to Rapid Support Forces, reports UN agency
Over 36,000 civilians have escaped Sudan's Kordofan territory eastern part of Darfur beginning Saturday, as reported by the UN's immigration body.
The important central zone connecting the country's Darfur areas and the capital region has in recent weeks become the newest conflict zone in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese military forces and the paramilitary forces.
Massive Displacement Numbers
An calculated 36,825 people evacuated from five districts in North Kordofan region between 26 October and 31 October, per data from the International Organization for Migration.
The people, most on foot, headed to Tawila, a town western side of El Fasher that is currently accommodating more than 652,000 refugees.
Escalated Military Presence
Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday described a heavy surge in both RSF and army presence across urban and rural areas throughout the state.
Both armed factions are vying 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," commented an RSF member in a recently circulated video declaration.
Regional Citizens Describe Safety Fears
A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, reported that the number of RSF vehicles had risen substantially since the group's capture of El Fasher.
"We stopped going to our farms, fearing confrontations," the resident explained.
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 last fourteen days.
World Alarms and Appeals
A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "large-scale atrocities" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The official alerted to patterns echoing those in Darfur, where RSF fighters have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.
The religious leader on Sunday urged an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the armed faction.
The ambassador further encouraged the international community to categorize the group as a terrorist group.
