Over 36,000 Sudanese have escaped after takeover of El Fasher to paramilitary group, reports UN agency
In excess of 36,000 civilians have fled Sudan's Kordofan area east of Darfur starting Saturday, as stated by the UN's immigration body.
The key central region connecting the country's Darfur provinces and the Khartoum-Riverine area has in recent weeks become the recent fighting area in the 24-month civil conflict between the Sudanese military forces and the paramilitary group.
Massive Evacuation Figures
An calculated 36,825 people evacuated from five localities in North Kordofan state between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The civilians, mainly traveling by foot, headed to Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently sheltering over 652,000 displaced people.
Escalated Troop Concentration
Residents of North Kordofan on Monday reported a heavy surge in both RSF and army concentration across towns and villages throughout the state.
Both military groups are vying for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a important strategic and command base that joins Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have assembled at the Bara front here," said an RSF member in a recently distributed video declaration.
Local Residents Describe Safety Fears
A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, stated that the quantity of RSF vehicles had risen substantially since the group's capture of El Fasher.
"We discontinued traveling to our farms, concerned about confrontations," the individual explained.
Another resident, who sought confidentiality for protection purposes, also indicated that "there has been a big increase in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the past two weeks.
International Alarms and Calls
A senior UN official expressed concerns last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The official alerted to patterns similar to those in Darfur, where RSF militants have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.
The spiritual head on Sunday urged an immediate ceasefire and the opening of aid passageways in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are creating unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's ambassador to Egypt on Sunday alleged RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and announced that the Sudanese government would not discuss with the paramilitary group.
The ambassador further called on the international community to categorize the group as a terrorist group.