More than 36,000 Sudanese have evacuated after takeover of El Fasher to Rapid Support Forces, says UN agency
More than 36,000 civilians have fled Sudan's Kordofan territory eastern part of Darfur since Saturday, as reported by the UN's migration organization.
The strategic central area connecting the country's Darfur regions and the Khartoum-Riverine area has over recent weeks become the latest battleground in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary group.
Significant Evacuation Figures
An calculated 36,825 people fled five localities in North Kordofan state between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The civilians, primarily walking, traveled to Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently housing over 652,000 displaced people.
Heightened Troop Concentration
Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday described a significant increase in both RSF and army deployment across towns and villages throughout the state.
Both military groups are competing 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 assembled at the Bara front here," commented an RSF member in a recently circulated video message.
Local Inhabitants Describe Security Concerns
A area citizen of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, reported that the quantity of RSF vehicles had increased considerably since the group's takeover of El Fasher.
"We stopped going to our farms, concerned about confrontations," the individual stated.
Another resident, 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 Warnings and Appeals
A senior UN official expressed concerns last week about "widespread abuses" and "race-driven revenge attacks" by RSF in Bara.
The official cautioned about patterns similar to those in Darfur, where RSF fighters have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.
The church leader on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire and the creation of aid passageways in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and obstacles to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's diplomatic representative to Egypt on Sunday alleged 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 categorize the group as a terrorist entity.
