Over 36,000 Sudanese citizens have evacuated since capture of El Fasher to Rapid Support Forces, says UN agency
In excess of 36,000 individuals have evacuated from Sudan's Kordofan region east of Darfur since Saturday, according to the UN's migration organization.
The strategic central area separating the country's Darfur regions and the Khartoum-Riverine area has in recent weeks become the latest battleground in the 24-month civil conflict between the Sudanese military forces and the paramilitary group.
Massive Exodus Statistics
An estimated 36,825 people escaped five districts in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The civilians, primarily walking, moved toward Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently accommodating more than 652,000 refugees.
Escalated Military Presence
Residents of North Kordofan on Monday described a substantial rise in both RSF and army deployment across towns and villages throughout the state.
Both forces are vying for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan regional capital and a critical supply and command base that links Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have assembled at the Bara front here," stated an RSF member in a recently circulated video declaration.
Regional Residents Report Security Concerns
A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, stated that the amount of RSF vehicles had risen substantially since the group's seizure of El Fasher.
"We stopped going to our farms, afraid of fighting," the resident stated.
Another inhabitant, who requested anonymity for security reasons, also reported that "there has been a big increase in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the past two weeks.
World Concerns and Calls
A senior UN official raised the alarm last week about "widespread abuses" and "race-driven revenge attacks" by RSF in Bara.
The official warned of patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF militants have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.
The spiritual head on Sunday urged an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of relief routes in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday charged RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not discuss with the militia organization.
The ambassador further called on the international community to categorize the group as a terrorist entity.
