At least 36,000 Sudanese have evacuated following takeover of El Fasher to RSF, says UN agency
Over 36,000 people have escaped Sudan's Kordofan region eastern sector of Darfur starting Saturday, as reported by the UN's immigration body.
The strategic central area between the country's Darfur areas and the Khartoum-Riverine area has in recent weeks become the newest conflict zone in the extended civil war between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary forces.
Significant Exodus Numbers
An estimated 36,825 people evacuated from five areas in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, per data from the International Organization for Migration.
The civilians, most on foot, headed to Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently sheltering over 652,000 displaced people.
Escalated Forces Deployment
Local inhabitants of North Kordofan on Monday noted a heavy surge in both RSF and army deployment across urban and rural areas throughout the state.
Both military groups are contesting control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan regional capital and a critical supply and command base that joins Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here," stated an RSF member in a recently circulated video declaration.
Area Citizens Describe Security Concerns
A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, stated that the number of RSF vehicles had grown substantially since the group's capture of El Fasher.
"We ceased visiting our farms, afraid of confrontations," the individual stated.
Another inhabitant, who sought confidentiality for protection purposes, also confirmed that "there has been a big increase in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the last fourteen days.
World Concerns and Requests
A senior UN official expressed concerns last week about "large-scale atrocities" and "ethnic-based retaliations" by RSF in Bara.
The representative warned of patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.
The church leader on Sunday appealed for an immediate ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, saying that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are creating unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's diplomatic representative to Egypt on Sunday alleged RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and stated that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the paramilitary group.
The diplomat further urged the world nations to classify the group as a terrorist entity.
