Over 36,000 Sudanese citizens have escaped following takeover of El Fasher to paramilitary group, states UN agency
Over 36,000 people have escaped Sudan's Kordofan territory eastern sector of Darfur beginning Saturday, as stated by the UN's immigration body.
The strategic central area connecting the country's Darfur regions and the Khartoum-Riverine area has during recent weeks become the latest battleground in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese army and the militia group.
Significant Exodus Statistics
An calculated 36,825 people fled five localities in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, as reported by the International Organization for Migration.
The people, primarily walking, traveled to Tawila, a town western side of El Fasher that is currently housing more than 652,000 evacuated individuals.
Increased Troop Concentration
Residents of North Kordofan on Monday noted a heavy surge in both RSF and army presence across towns and villages throughout the state.
Both military groups are vying 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," said an RSF member in a recently distributed video declaration.
Area Residents Detail 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 seizure of El Fasher.
"We discontinued traveling to our farms, afraid of confrontations," the local commented.
Another resident, who asked to remain unnamed for safety concerns, 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.
Global Alarms and Appeals
A senior UN official raised the alarm last week about "large-scale atrocities" and "race-driven revenge attacks" by RSF in Bara.
The diplomat cautioned about patterns echoing those in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against certain racial groups.
The church leader on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of aid passageways in Sudan, saying that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are causing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's ambassador to Egypt on Sunday alleged RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not engage with the paramilitary group.
The diplomat further called on the world nations to categorize the group as a terrorist organisation.