At least 36,000 Sudanese citizens have evacuated since capture of El Fasher to paramilitary group, says UN agency
Over 36,000 individuals have evacuated from Sudan's Kordofan region eastern part of Darfur beginning Saturday, according to the UN's migration agency.
The important central zone between the country's Darfur regions and the Khartoum-Riverine region has during recent weeks become the recent fighting area in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary forces.
Massive Displacement Figures
An estimated 36,825 people evacuated from five areas in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, as reported by the International Organization for Migration.
The people, primarily walking, traveled to Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently housing over 652,000 evacuated individuals.
Heightened Troop Concentration
Residents of North Kordofan on Monday noted a substantial rise in both RSF and army presence across urban and rural areas throughout the state.
Both forces are contesting control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan regional capital and a important strategic 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 shared video declaration.
Local Inhabitants Detail Safety Fears
A area citizen of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the number of RSF vehicles had increased substantially since the group's seizure of El Fasher.
"We ceased visiting our farms, concerned about clashes," the resident explained.
Another resident, who asked to remain unnamed 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 previous fortnight.
World Warnings and Requests
A senior UN official expressed concerns last week about "extensive crimes" and "race-driven revenge attacks" by RSF in Bara.
The official warned of patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF militants have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against certain racial groups.
The religious leader on Sunday appealed for an prompt truce and the opening of relief routes in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and obstacles to humanitarian aid "are creating unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's ambassador to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not engage with the militia organization.
The ambassador further encouraged the international community to designate the group as a terrorist organisation.
