Over 36,000 Sudanese people have fled following takeover of El Fasher to RSF, states UN agency
Over 36,000 people have escaped Sudan's Kordofan area east of Darfur beginning Saturday, according to the UN's immigration body.
The important central zone connecting the country's Darfur regions and the capital region has over recent weeks become the newest conflict zone in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary group.
Substantial Evacuation Numbers
An estimated 36,825 people evacuated from five districts in North Kordofan region between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The individuals, most on foot, traveled to Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently sheltering in excess of 652,000 evacuated individuals.
Increased Military Presence
Local inhabitants of North Kordofan on Monday noted a substantial rise in both RSF and army concentration across towns and villages throughout the state.
Both armed factions are contesting control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a important strategic and command center that connects Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here," stated an RSF member in a recently distributed video message.
Area Inhabitants Detail Security Concerns
A area citizen of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the quantity of RSF vehicles had risen significantly since the group's takeover of El Fasher.
"We discontinued traveling to our farms, fearing confrontations," the individual commented.
Another inhabitant, who sought confidentiality for protection purposes, also reported that "there has been a significant rise in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the last fourteen days.
Global Warnings and Calls
A senior UN official expressed concerns last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The representative cautioned about patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF fighters have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.
The religious leader on Sunday appealed for an quick cessation of hostilities and the creation of relief routes in Sudan, saying that attacks on civilians and hindrances to humanitarian aid "are creating unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the paramilitary group.
The ambassador further encouraged the international community to designate the group as a terrorist group.