Over 36,000 Sudanese have evacuated following fall of El Fasher to paramilitary group, reports UN agency
In excess of 36,000 people have fled Sudan's Kordofan area east of Darfur beginning Saturday, as reported by the UN's migration organization.
The important central zone separating the country's Darfur regions and the capital region has over recent weeks become the latest battleground in the extended civil war between the Sudanese army and the militia group.
Massive Displacement Statistics
An calculated 36,825 people fled five districts in North Kordofan state between 26 October and 31 October, per data from the International Organization for Migration.
The people, primarily walking, moved toward Tawila, a town western side of El Fasher that is currently accommodating more than 652,000 refugees.
Escalated Troop Concentration
Residents of North Kordofan on Monday described a substantial rise in both RSF and army deployment across urban and rural areas throughout the state.
Both armed factions are contesting control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan regional capital and a critical supply and command center that connects 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 Detail Safety Fears
A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, reported that the quantity of RSF vehicles had increased significantly since the group's capture of El Fasher.
"We discontinued traveling to our farms, fearing fighting," the individual stated.
Another resident, who asked to remain unnamed for protection purposes, also indicated that "there has been a big increase in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the last fourteen days.
International Concerns and Appeals
A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The official cautioned about patterns echoing those in Darfur, where RSF militants have been alleged to commit mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.
The church leader on Sunday called for an prompt truce and the creation of relief routes in Sudan, saying that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's ambassador to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and stated that the Sudanese government would not engage with the paramilitary group.
The diplomat further encouraged the international community to classify the group as a terrorist entity.