At least 36,000 Sudanese people have evacuated after takeover of El Fasher to Rapid Support Forces, states UN agency
More than 36,000 individuals have fled Sudan's Kordofan area east of Darfur starting Saturday, according to the UN's migration agency.
The important central zone connecting the country's Darfur provinces and the Khartoum-Riverine area has during recent weeks become the latest battleground in the extended civil war between the Sudanese military forces and the paramilitary group.
Substantial Displacement Statistics
An calculated 36,825 people fled five areas in North Kordofan region between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The civilians, most on foot, headed to Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently sheltering in excess of 652,000 refugees.
Escalated Forces Deployment
Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday reported a significant increase in both RSF and army concentration across towns and villages throughout the state.
Both military groups are vying for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a critical supply and command base that joins Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have gathered at the Bara front here," said an RSF member in a recently distributed video message.
Regional Residents Report Security Concerns
A area citizen of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the amount of RSF vehicles had increased substantially since the group's takeover of El Fasher.
"We stopped going to our farms, fearing confrontations," the individual explained.
Another civilian, who asked to remain unnamed for security reasons, also confirmed that "there has been a substantial growth in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the last fourteen days.
World Concerns and Calls
A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "large-scale atrocities" and "ethnic-based retaliations" by RSF in Bara.
The representative warned of patterns similar to those in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.
The spiritual head on Sunday appealed for an prompt truce and the establishment of relief routes in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's diplomatic representative to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of carrying out war crimes in El Fasher and stated that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the armed faction.
The diplomat further encouraged the world nations to designate the group as a terrorist entity.