Over 36,000 Sudanese people have escaped after fall of El Fasher to paramilitary group, reports UN agency
Over 36,000 people have evacuated from Sudan's Kordofan area eastern sector of Darfur beginning Saturday, according to the UN's migration organization.
The key central region between the country's Darfur regions and the Khartoum-Riverine region has in recent weeks become the latest battleground in the 24-month civil conflict between the Sudanese military forces and the paramilitary group.
Substantial Exodus Statistics
An estimated 36,825 people fled five areas in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, as reported by the International Organization for Migration.
The civilians, most on foot, headed to Tawila, a town western side of El Fasher that is currently housing over 652,000 refugees.
Heightened Forces Deployment
Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday described a heavy surge in both RSF and army presence across towns and villages throughout the state.
Both forces are competing for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a critical supply and command base that joins Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here," stated an RSF member in a recently distributed video declaration.
Local Inhabitants Describe Safety Fears
A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, reported that the quantity of RSF vehicles had grown significantly since the group's seizure of El Fasher.
"We discontinued traveling to our farms, concerned about confrontations," the resident stated.
Another resident, who asked to remain unnamed for protection purposes, also indicated that "there has been a significant rise in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the past two weeks.
Global Concerns and Calls
A senior UN official raised the alarm last week about "large-scale atrocities" and "ethnic-based retaliations" by RSF in Bara.
The diplomat cautioned about patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.
The spiritual head on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and obstacles to humanitarian aid "are causing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday charged RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not engage with the paramilitary group.
The ambassador further called on the international community to classify the group as a terrorist group.