More than 36,000 Sudanese have evacuated since takeover of El Fasher to paramilitary group, says UN agency
Over 36,000 people have evacuated from Sudan's Kordofan region eastern sector of Darfur starting Saturday, according to the UN's migration agency.
The key central region between the country's Darfur regions and the Khartoum-Riverine region has in recent weeks become the recent fighting area in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary forces.
Substantial Evacuation Statistics
An calculated 36,825 people evacuated from five districts in North Kordofan state between 26 October and 31 October, as reported by the International Organization for Migration.
The civilians, primarily walking, headed to Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently accommodating in excess of 652,000 displaced people.
Escalated Military Presence
Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday noted a heavy surge in both RSF and army presence across urban and rural areas throughout the state.
Both armed factions are vying for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a key logistics and command hub that links Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have gathered at the Bara front here," stated an RSF member in a recently circulated video declaration.
Local Residents Detail Security Concerns
A area citizen of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the number of RSF vehicles had risen significantly since the group's capture of El Fasher.
"We stopped going to our farms, fearing fighting," the resident stated.
Another inhabitant, who sought confidentiality for protection purposes, also reported that "there has been a substantial growth in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the past two weeks.
Global Concerns and Requests
A senior UN official expressed concerns last week about "large-scale atrocities" and "race-driven revenge attacks" by RSF in Bara.
The official cautioned about patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF fighters have been alleged to commit mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.
The spiritual head on Sunday urged an prompt truce and the establishment of relief routes in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and obstacles to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not engage with the militia organization.
The diplomat further called on the world nations to categorize the group as a terrorist group.
