More than 36,000 Sudanese have evacuated after capture of El Fasher to RSF, says UN agency
Over 36,000 individuals have fled Sudan's Kordofan territory eastern part of Darfur since Saturday, as stated by the UN's migration organization.
The key central region between the country's Darfur provinces and the Khartoum-Riverine area has in recent weeks become the latest battleground in the extended civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary group.
Substantial Evacuation Figures
An approximated 36,825 people fled five areas in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The individuals, primarily walking, moved toward Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently housing more than 652,000 evacuated individuals.
Escalated Military Presence
Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday noted a significant increase in both RSF and army presence across towns and villages throughout the state.
Both armed factions are vying for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan regional capital and a critical supply and command center that joins Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here," said an RSF member in a recently distributed video statement.
Area Citizens Report Protection Issues
A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, reported that the amount of RSF vehicles had increased substantially since the group's seizure of El Fasher.
"We discontinued traveling to our farms, fearing clashes," the individual commented.
Another inhabitant, who requested anonymity for safety concerns, also indicated that "there has been a substantial growth in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the past two weeks.
International Concerns and Requests
A senior UN official raised the alarm last week about "extensive crimes" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The diplomat warned of patterns echoing those in Darfur, where RSF militants have been alleged to commit mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.
The spiritual head 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 creating unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's diplomatic representative to Egypt on Sunday charged RSF of carrying out war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not engage with the armed faction.
The representative further urged the international community to classify the group as a terrorist organisation.
