More than 36,000 Sudanese have escaped after takeover of El Fasher to RSF, reports UN agency
More than 36,000 individuals have escaped Sudan's Kordofan area east of Darfur beginning Saturday, as reported by the UN's immigration body.
The key central region connecting the country's Darfur provinces and the capital region has during recent weeks become the latest battleground in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese military forces and the paramilitary forces.
Substantial Evacuation Statistics
An estimated 36,825 people fled five areas in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, per data from the International Organization for Migration.
The people, primarily walking, moved toward Tawila, a town western side of El Fasher that is currently accommodating over 652,000 evacuated individuals.
Escalated Military Presence
Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday described a heavy surge in both RSF and army deployment across urban and rural areas throughout the state.
Both armed factions are contesting control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a key logistics and command hub that connects Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have gathered at the Bara front here," commented an RSF member in a recently distributed video message.
Regional Citizens Detail Safety Fears
A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, stated that the quantity of RSF vehicles had increased substantially since the group's takeover of El Fasher.
"We stopped going to our farms, concerned about confrontations," the resident explained.
Another inhabitant, who sought confidentiality for safety concerns, also reported that "there has been a significant rise in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the previous fortnight.
International Alarms and Calls
A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "large-scale atrocities" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The official warned of patterns echoing those in Darfur, where RSF militants have been alleged to commit mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against certain racial groups.
The spiritual head on Sunday called for an prompt truce and the creation of aid passageways in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and hindrances to humanitarian aid "are causing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday alleged RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and stated that the Sudanese government would not engage with the armed faction.
The representative further called on the global community to designate the group as a terrorist organisation.
