Over 36,000 Sudanese people have fled following capture of El Fasher to RSF, states UN agency
More than 36,000 people have fled Sudan's Kordofan region east of Darfur since Saturday, as reported by the UN's migration organization.
The strategic central area connecting the country's Darfur areas and the capital region has in recent weeks become the latest battleground in the 24-month civil conflict between the Sudanese armed forces and the militia group.
Substantial Exodus Figures
An calculated 36,825 people fled five districts in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, per data from the International Organization for Migration.
The civilians, primarily walking, headed to Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently sheltering over 652,000 displaced people.
Escalated Military Presence
Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday described a significant increase in both RSF and army presence across communities throughout the state.
Both forces are vying for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan regional capital and a critical supply and command base that links Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have gathered at the Bara front here," said an RSF member in a recently circulated video statement.
Regional Residents Detail Security Concerns
A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the number of RSF vehicles had risen considerably since the group's capture of El Fasher.
"We discontinued traveling to our farms, concerned about confrontations," the resident commented.
Another inhabitant, who sought confidentiality for security reasons, also reported that "there has been a significant rise in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the last fourteen days.
International Concerns and Calls
A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The diplomat cautioned about patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF fighters have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.
The religious leader on Sunday called for an prompt truce and the opening of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, saying that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and stated that the Sudanese government would not discuss with the paramilitary group.
The ambassador further called on the global community to categorize the group as a terrorist organisation.