Over 36,000 Sudanese people have escaped after capture of El Fasher to paramilitary group, states UN agency
Over 36,000 people have escaped Sudan's Kordofan region east of Darfur since Saturday, as stated by the UN's migration organization.
The strategic central area connecting the country's Darfur provinces and the Khartoum-Riverine region has over recent weeks become the newest conflict zone in the extended civil war between the Sudanese military forces and the militia group.
Significant Displacement Statistics
An approximated 36,825 people evacuated from five localities in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The people, mainly traveling by foot, headed to Tawila, a town western side of El Fasher that is currently accommodating in excess of 652,000 displaced people.
Increased Military Presence
Residents of North Kordofan on Monday noted a substantial rise in both RSF and army deployment across towns and villages throughout the state.
Both armed factions are competing for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan regional capital and a key logistics and command base that connects Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here," said an RSF member in a recently circulated video statement.
Area Inhabitants Describe Safety Fears
A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, stated that the number of RSF vehicles had increased substantially since the group's capture of El Fasher.
"We discontinued traveling to our farms, afraid of confrontations," the local commented.
Another resident, 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 previous fortnight.
Global Alarms and Calls
A senior UN official expressed concerns last week about "extensive crimes" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The diplomat warned of patterns echoing those in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.
The spiritual head on Sunday urged an prompt truce and the opening of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and obstacles to humanitarian aid "are causing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's diplomatic representative to Egypt on Sunday charged RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and stated that the Sudanese government would not discuss with the armed faction.
The representative further encouraged the world nations to classify the group as a terrorist organisation.