More than 36,000 Sudanese have fled since takeover of El Fasher to Rapid Support Forces, states UN agency
More than 36,000 individuals have fled Sudan's Kordofan region eastern sector of Darfur beginning Saturday, as stated by the UN's immigration body.
The important central zone separating the country's Darfur areas 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 militia group.
Substantial Evacuation Figures
An calculated 36,825 people evacuated from five districts in North Kordofan state between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The individuals, primarily walking, headed to Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently accommodating more than 652,000 displaced people.
Escalated Troop Concentration
Local inhabitants of North Kordofan on Monday described a significant increase in both RSF and army presence across urban and rural areas throughout the state.
Both forces are competing for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital and a important strategic and command base that connects Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have gathered at the Bara front here," stated an RSF member in a recently circulated video message.
Regional Residents Describe Security Concerns
A local inhabitant 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 stopped going to our farms, fearing clashes," the individual commented.
Another resident, who sought confidentiality 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 last fourteen days.
World Alarms and Calls
A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "widespread abuses" and "race-driven revenge attacks" by RSF in Bara.
The official alerted to patterns echoing those in Darfur, where RSF militants have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.
The spiritual head on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and hindrances to humanitarian aid "are causing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday charged RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and stated that the Sudanese government would not discuss with the militia organization.
The diplomat further called on the world nations to classify the group as a terrorist entity.
