At least 36,000 Sudanese people have escaped after capture of El Fasher to RSF, reports UN agency
In excess of 36,000 individuals have fled Sudan's Kordofan region east of Darfur beginning Saturday, according to the UN's migration agency.
The important central zone separating the country's Darfur provinces and the Khartoum-Riverine area has over recent weeks become the latest battleground in the 24-month civil conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary group.
Substantial Evacuation Statistics
An approximated 36,825 people fled five districts in North Kordofan region between 26 October and 31 October, per data from the International Organization for Migration.
The people, mainly traveling by foot, headed to Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently accommodating over 652,000 displaced people.
Escalated Troop Concentration
Residents of North Kordofan on Monday reported a substantial rise in both RSF and army concentration across urban and rural areas throughout the state.
Both armed factions are vying for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital and a important strategic and command base that joins Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here," said an RSF member in a recently circulated video message.
Local Residents Describe Safety Fears
A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, stated that the number of RSF vehicles had grown significantly since the group's seizure of El Fasher.
"We discontinued traveling to our farms, concerned about fighting," the local stated.
Another resident, who requested anonymity for protection purposes, also confirmed that "there has been a significant rise in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the previous fortnight.
World Alarms and Requests
A senior UN official raised the alarm last week about "extensive crimes" and "race-driven revenge attacks" by RSF in Bara.
The diplomat alerted to patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF fighters have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against certain racial groups.
The church leader on Sunday urged an quick cessation of hostilities and the creation of aid passageways in Sudan, saying that attacks on civilians and impediments 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 negotiate with the militia organization.
The diplomat further urged the international community to categorize the group as a terrorist group.
