More than 36,000 Sudanese people have escaped following fall of El Fasher to paramilitary group, states UN agency
In excess of 36,000 civilians have evacuated from Sudan's Kordofan region eastern sector of Darfur since Saturday, as reported by the UN's migration agency.
The important central zone connecting the country's Darfur regions and the Khartoum-Riverine region has over recent weeks become the newest conflict zone in the 24-month civil conflict between the Sudanese armed forces and the militia group.
Significant Displacement Statistics
An approximated 36,825 people escaped five districts in North Kordofan state between 26 October and 31 October, as reported by the International Organization for Migration.
The people, mainly traveling by foot, headed to Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently housing over 652,000 evacuated individuals.
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 military groups are vying for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a critical supply and command center that connects Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have gathered at the Bara front here," said an RSF member in a recently circulated video declaration.
Regional Inhabitants Detail Safety Fears
A area citizen of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, stated that the number of RSF vehicles had grown significantly since the group's seizure of El Fasher.
"We stopped going to our farms, afraid of confrontations," the local commented.
Another civilian, who sought confidentiality for protection purposes, also indicated that "there has been a substantial growth in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the past two weeks.
International Concerns and Appeals
A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "extensive crimes" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The diplomat alerted to patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF militants have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against certain racial groups.
The church leader on Sunday urged an quick cessation of hostilities and the creation of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's diplomatic representative to Egypt on Sunday alleged RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not discuss with the militia organization.
The representative further encouraged the international community to classify the group as a terrorist group.