At least 36,000 Sudanese people have evacuated after takeover of El Fasher to paramilitary group, says UN agency
Over 36,000 individuals have escaped Sudan's Kordofan region eastern part of Darfur since Saturday, as stated by the UN's migration organization.
The key central region connecting the country's Darfur provinces and the capital region has in recent weeks become the latest battleground in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary forces.
Substantial Displacement Figures
An approximated 36,825 people fled five districts in North Kordofan region between 26 October and 31 October, per data from the International Organization for Migration.
The individuals, mainly traveling by foot, traveled to Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently accommodating over 652,000 refugees.
Heightened Troop Concentration
Local inhabitants of North Kordofan on Monday reported a substantial rise in both RSF and army deployment across communities throughout the state.
Both armed factions are contesting control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan regional capital and a key logistics and command center that links Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have assembled at the Bara front here," stated an RSF member in a recently shared video message.
Local Residents Describe Protection Issues
A resident 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, concerned about confrontations," the local explained.
Another civilian, who asked to remain unnamed for security reasons, also reported that "there has been a big increase in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the last fourteen days.
Global Warnings and Appeals
A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The diplomat alerted to patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.
The church leader on Sunday appealed for an quick cessation of hostilities and the establishment of relief routes in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and obstacles to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday alleged RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the militia organization.
The ambassador further encouraged the global community to classify the group as a terrorist group.
