Over 36,000 Sudanese people have evacuated following fall of El Fasher to Rapid Support Forces, says UN agency
Over 36,000 people have evacuated from Sudan's Kordofan region eastern part of Darfur starting Saturday, according to the UN's migration agency.
The key central region separating the country's Darfur areas and the Khartoum-Riverine area has over recent weeks become the recent fighting area in the 24-month civil conflict between the Sudanese army and the militia group.
Substantial Exodus Numbers
An estimated 36,825 people fled five areas in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, per data from the International Organization for Migration.
The individuals, mainly traveling by foot, headed to Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently accommodating more than 652,000 refugees.
Heightened Military Presence
Local inhabitants of North Kordofan on Monday described a heavy surge in both RSF and army deployment across towns and villages throughout the state.
Both military groups are contesting control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a important strategic and command hub that links Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here," said an RSF member in a recently shared video declaration.
Area Inhabitants Detail Safety Fears
A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the amount of RSF vehicles had increased considerably since the group's takeover of El Fasher.
"We stopped going to our farms, concerned about clashes," the resident commented.
Another civilian, who requested anonymity for safety concerns, also indicated that "there has been a big increase in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the past two weeks.
Global Warnings and Requests
A senior UN official raised the alarm last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The representative alerted to patterns similar to those in Darfur, where RSF fighters have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.
The spiritual head on Sunday appealed for an immediate ceasefire and the creation of relief routes in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and hindrances to humanitarian aid "are causing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday alleged RSF of carrying out war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the militia organization.
The representative further called on the international community to categorize the group as a terrorist entity.
