At least 36,000 Sudanese people have evacuated following fall of El Fasher to Rapid Support Forces, reports UN agency
In excess of 36,000 civilians have escaped Sudan's Kordofan area eastern part of Darfur beginning Saturday, as reported by the UN's migration organization.
The key central region connecting the country's Darfur regions and the Khartoum-Riverine area has in recent weeks become the recent fighting area in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary group.
Massive Evacuation Numbers
An estimated 36,825 people escaped five areas in North Kordofan region between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The people, mainly traveling by foot, traveled to Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently housing over 652,000 refugees.
Heightened Troop Concentration
Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday noted a substantial rise in both RSF and army deployment across communities throughout the state.
Both forces are vying for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a important strategic and command center that joins Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here," stated an RSF member in a recently shared video message.
Regional Citizens Detail Security Concerns
A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, reported that the amount of RSF vehicles had increased considerably since the group's takeover of El Fasher.
"We stopped going to our farms, fearing confrontations," the individual stated.
Another inhabitant, who requested anonymity for safety concerns, also reported that "there has been a significant rise in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the past two weeks.
World Alarms and Calls
A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "large-scale atrocities" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The diplomat cautioned about patterns similar to those in Darfur, where RSF fighters have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.
The church leader on Sunday called for an prompt truce and the establishment of relief routes in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are creating unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday charged RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the armed faction.
The ambassador further called on the global community to categorize the group as a terrorist entity.
