At least 36,000 Sudanese have evacuated since fall of El Fasher to Rapid Support Forces, says UN agency
More than 36,000 people have fled Sudan's Kordofan area eastern sector of Darfur beginning Saturday, as reported by the UN's immigration body.
The key central region connecting the country's Darfur regions and the capital region has over recent weeks become the newest conflict zone in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese military forces and the paramilitary forces.
Significant Evacuation Numbers
An calculated 36,825 people escaped five districts in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The individuals, most on foot, traveled to Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently sheltering in excess of 652,000 evacuated individuals.
Escalated Forces Deployment
Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday described a heavy surge in both RSF and army deployment across towns and villages throughout the state.
Both forces are contesting control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital and a key logistics and command hub that links Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have assembled at the Bara front here," stated an RSF member in a recently shared video statement.
Area Residents Detail Protection Issues
A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, stated that the quantity of RSF vehicles had risen considerably since the group's takeover of El Fasher.
"We ceased visiting our farms, concerned about confrontations," the local explained.
Another resident, who requested anonymity for security reasons, also confirmed that "there has been a substantial growth 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 "widespread abuses" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The diplomat alerted to patterns echoing those in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.
The church leader on Sunday called for an prompt truce and the establishment of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, saying that attacks on civilians and hindrances to humanitarian aid "are creating unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and announced that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the militia organization.
The ambassador further encouraged the international community to designate the group as a terrorist organisation.
