More than 36,000 Sudanese citizens have escaped following fall of El Fasher to RSF, states UN agency
More than 36,000 civilians have escaped Sudan's Kordofan area eastern part of Darfur beginning Saturday, according to the UN's immigration body.
The important central zone connecting the country's Darfur regions and the capital region has in recent weeks become the newest conflict zone in the 24-month civil conflict between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary forces.
Massive Exodus Numbers
An estimated 36,825 people escaped five areas in North Kordofan region between 26 October and 31 October, as reported by the International Organization for Migration.
The individuals, most on foot, traveled to Tawila, a town western side of El Fasher that is currently sheltering over 652,000 displaced people.
Heightened Military Presence
Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday described a significant increase in both RSF and army deployment across communities throughout the state.
Both armed factions are contesting control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan regional capital and a important strategic and command center that connects Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have assembled at the Bara front here," said an RSF member in a recently circulated video statement.
Local Citizens Detail Security Concerns
A resident 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, afraid of fighting," the individual stated.
Another resident, who requested anonymity for protection purposes, also confirmed 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 Appeals
A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "widespread abuses" and "race-driven revenge attacks" by RSF in Bara.
The representative cautioned about patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF militants have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.
The religious leader on Sunday urged an immediate ceasefire and the creation of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are creating unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's diplomatic representative to Egypt on Sunday charged RSF of carrying out war crimes in El Fasher and announced that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the armed faction.
The representative further called on the international community to classify the group as a terrorist organisation.
