More than 36,000 Sudanese have fled after capture of El Fasher to paramilitary group, states UN agency
More than 36,000 civilians have evacuated from Sudan's Kordofan region eastern part of Darfur starting Saturday, according to the UN's immigration body.
The key central region separating the country's Darfur regions and the Khartoum-Riverine area has during recent weeks become the newest conflict zone in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese military forces and the militia group.
Significant Exodus Figures
An estimated 36,825 people evacuated from five areas in North Kordofan state between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The civilians, primarily walking, moved toward Tawila, a town western side of El Fasher that is currently accommodating more than 652,000 evacuated individuals.
Increased Forces Deployment
Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday reported 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 regional capital and a critical supply and command center that connects Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here," said an RSF member in a recently distributed video statement.
Area Residents Detail Security Concerns
A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, stated that the number of RSF vehicles had grown considerably since the group's seizure of El Fasher.
"We discontinued traveling to our farms, afraid of clashes," the individual commented.
Another civilian, who requested anonymity for protection purposes, also reported that "there has been a substantial growth in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the last fourteen days.
World Warnings and Requests
A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "extensive crimes" and "ethnic-based retaliations" by RSF in Bara.
The representative alerted to patterns echoing those in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against certain racial groups.
The religious leader on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and obstacles to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of carrying out war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not discuss with the armed faction.
The ambassador further encouraged the international community to classify the group as a terrorist group.