More than 36,000 Sudanese people have evacuated following takeover of El Fasher to RSF, says UN agency
In excess of 36,000 people have fled Sudan's Kordofan territory eastern part of Darfur beginning Saturday, according to the UN's migration organization.
The important central zone separating the country's Darfur areas and the Khartoum-Riverine region has over recent weeks become the latest battleground in the 24-month civil conflict between the Sudanese military forces and the paramilitary forces.
Substantial Exodus Statistics
An calculated 36,825 people evacuated from five districts in North Kordofan state between 26 October and 31 October, per data from the International Organization for Migration.
The civilians, mainly traveling by foot, moved toward Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently accommodating in excess of 652,000 displaced people.
Heightened Forces Deployment
Residents of North Kordofan on Monday noted a substantial rise in both RSF and army concentration across communities throughout the state.
Both military groups are vying for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan regional capital and a key logistics and command base that connects Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here," said an RSF member in a recently circulated video declaration.
Local Residents Describe Protection Issues
A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, stated 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 resident commented.
Another civilian, who sought confidentiality for safety concerns, also indicated that "there has been a significant rise in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the past two weeks.
World Concerns and Appeals
A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The diplomat warned of patterns echoing those in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against certain racial groups.
The spiritual head on Sunday urged an quick cessation of hostilities and the establishment of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are creating unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's diplomatic representative to Egypt on Sunday alleged RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and announced that the Sudanese government would not engage with the paramilitary group.
The representative further called on the global community to classify the group as a terrorist entity.