More than 36,000 Sudanese people have fled since takeover of El Fasher to Rapid Support Forces, reports UN agency
Over 36,000 civilians have escaped Sudan's Kordofan territory eastern sector of Darfur beginning Saturday, as stated by the UN's migration organization.
The important central zone between the country's Darfur areas and the capital region has over recent weeks become the newest conflict zone in the 24-month civil conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary forces.
Substantial Displacement Figures
An estimated 36,825 people evacuated from five districts in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, as reported by the International Organization for Migration.
The civilians, mainly traveling by foot, headed to Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently sheltering over 652,000 evacuated individuals.
Heightened Troop Concentration
Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday noted a substantial rise 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 regional capital and a key logistics and command base that links Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here," stated an RSF member in a recently distributed video declaration.
Area Citizens Detail Security Concerns
A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the number of RSF vehicles had grown substantially since the group's takeover of El Fasher.
"We ceased visiting our farms, afraid of fighting," the individual stated.
Another resident, who sought confidentiality for security reasons, also reported that "there has been a big increase in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the past two weeks.
World Alarms and Appeals
A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The diplomat alerted to patterns similar to those in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.
The religious leader on Sunday appealed for an immediate ceasefire and the creation of relief routes 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 announced that the Sudanese government would not engage with the militia organization.
The diplomat further urged the world nations to categorize the group as a terrorist group.
