At least 36,000 Sudanese have escaped since capture of El Fasher to paramilitary group, says UN agency
More than 36,000 individuals have escaped Sudan's Kordofan region eastern part of Darfur since Saturday, according to the UN's migration organization.
The important central zone connecting the country's Darfur provinces and the capital region has over recent weeks become the recent fighting area in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary group.
Massive 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 individuals, primarily walking, headed to Tawila, a town western side of El Fasher that is currently housing more than 652,000 displaced people.
Increased Forces Deployment
Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday reported a heavy surge in both RSF and army presence across towns and villages throughout the state.
Both military groups are vying for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital and a important strategic and command center that connects Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have gathered at the Bara front here," stated an RSF member in a recently distributed video declaration.
Area Citizens Report Security Concerns
A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, stated that the amount of RSF vehicles had grown substantially since the group's seizure of El Fasher.
"We ceased visiting our farms, afraid of fighting," the local commented.
Another civilian, who asked to remain unnamed for protection purposes, 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 Calls
A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The official cautioned about patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF militants have been alleged to commit mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.
The church leader on Sunday appealed for an immediate ceasefire and the creation of relief routes in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and obstacles to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's diplomatic representative to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the paramilitary group.
The representative further urged the international community to categorize the group as a terrorist organisation.