At least 36,000 Sudanese people have fled following fall of El Fasher to RSF, says UN agency
Over 36,000 people have escaped Sudan's Kordofan territory east of Darfur since Saturday, as stated by the UN's migration organization.
The important central zone connecting the country's Darfur regions and the Khartoum-Riverine area has over recent weeks become the newest conflict zone in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese armed forces and the militia group.
Significant Displacement Statistics
An approximated 36,825 people evacuated from five localities in North Kordofan state between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The people, mainly traveling by foot, moved toward Tawila, a town western side of El Fasher that is currently housing more than 652,000 refugees.
Escalated Troop Concentration
Residents of North Kordofan on Monday reported a substantial rise in both RSF and army deployment across communities throughout the state.
Both forces are contesting control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital and a critical supply 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 statement.
Area Residents Report Safety Fears
A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the quantity of RSF vehicles had grown substantially since the group's seizure of El Fasher.
"We stopped going to our farms, fearing clashes," the local commented.
Another resident, who asked to remain unnamed for protection purposes, also reported that "there has been a big increase in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the previous fortnight.
World Alarms and Appeals
A senior UN official expressed concerns last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The official alerted to patterns echoing those in Darfur, where RSF fighters have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.
The religious leader on Sunday appealed for an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of relief routes in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and hindrances to humanitarian aid "are causing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday charged RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and stated that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the armed faction.
The representative further urged the global community to categorize the group as a terrorist group.
