More than 36,000 Sudanese people have evacuated following takeover of El Fasher to Rapid Support Forces, states UN agency
Over 36,000 people have evacuated from Sudan's Kordofan area eastern part of Darfur beginning Saturday, as stated by the UN's immigration body.
The important central zone between the country's Darfur areas and the Khartoum-Riverine region has in recent weeks become the latest battleground in the extended civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary forces.
Massive Evacuation Numbers
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, mainly traveling by foot, headed to Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently sheltering over 652,000 evacuated individuals.
Increased Troop Concentration
Local inhabitants of North Kordofan on Monday described a heavy surge in both RSF and army deployment across urban and rural areas throughout the state.
Both forces are vying for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a important strategic and command hub that joins Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here," commented an RSF member in a recently shared video declaration.
Local Residents Detail Protection Issues
A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, reported that the amount of RSF vehicles had increased considerably since the group's takeover of El Fasher.
"We discontinued traveling to our farms, afraid of clashes," the local stated.
Another resident, who sought confidentiality for security reasons, also reported that "there has been a substantial growth in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the previous fortnight.
International Warnings and Appeals
A senior UN official expressed concerns last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The representative warned of patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF fighters have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.
The spiritual head on Sunday urged an prompt truce and the creation of relief routes in Sudan, saying that attacks on civilians and hindrances to humanitarian aid "are causing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's ambassador to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and announced that the Sudanese government would not engage with the armed faction.
The representative further encouraged the global community to categorize the group as a terrorist group.