More than 36,000 Sudanese have fled since takeover of El Fasher to Rapid Support Forces, states UN agency
In excess of 36,000 individuals have fled Sudan's Kordofan area east of Darfur starting Saturday, as reported by the UN's migration agency.
The important central zone connecting the country's Darfur areas and the capital region has in recent weeks become the recent fighting area in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese military forces and the paramilitary group.
Massive Exodus Statistics
An calculated 36,825 people evacuated from five districts in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, per data from the International Organization for Migration.
The individuals, most on foot, moved toward Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently housing over 652,000 refugees.
Escalated Troop Concentration
Residents of North Kordofan on Monday noted a substantial rise 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 center 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.
Regional Residents Describe Security Concerns
A area citizen of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, reported that the quantity of RSF vehicles had grown substantially since the group's seizure of El Fasher.
"We stopped going to our farms, concerned about confrontations," the individual commented.
Another resident, who sought confidentiality for security reasons, also indicated that "there has been a substantial growth in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the previous fortnight.
International Alarms and Requests
A senior UN official expressed concerns last week about "extensive crimes" and "ethnic-based retaliations" by RSF in Bara.
The representative alerted to patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF militants have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against certain racial groups.
The religious leader on Sunday called for an quick cessation of hostilities and the opening of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and hindrances to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's diplomatic representative to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the militia organization.
The diplomat further urged the international community to designate the group as a terrorist group.