At least 36,000 Sudanese people have escaped since fall of El Fasher to Rapid Support Forces, states UN agency
More than 36,000 people have evacuated from Sudan's Kordofan area eastern sector of Darfur since Saturday, as stated by the UN's immigration body.
The strategic central area between the country's Darfur areas and the Khartoum-Riverine region has over recent weeks become the newest conflict zone in the 24-month civil conflict between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary group.
Massive Evacuation Numbers
An approximated 36,825 people fled five areas in North Kordofan region between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The civilians, mainly traveling by foot, headed to Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently housing over 652,000 displaced people.
Heightened Military Presence
Local inhabitants of North Kordofan on Monday noted a heavy surge in both RSF and army concentration across towns and villages throughout the state.
Both forces are competing for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a important strategic and command hub that connects Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have gathered at the Bara front here," said an RSF member in a recently distributed video declaration.
Area Citizens Detail Protection Issues
A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, reported that the amount of RSF vehicles had risen considerably since the group's takeover of El Fasher.
"We ceased visiting our farms, fearing confrontations," the individual commented.
Another civilian, who sought confidentiality for protection purposes, also reported that "there has been a significant rise in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the last fourteen days.
World Alarms and Appeals
A senior UN official raised the alarm last week about "large-scale atrocities" and "ethnic-based retaliations" by RSF in Bara.
The official alerted to patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.
The church leader on Sunday appealed for an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of relief routes in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and obstacles to humanitarian aid "are causing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's ambassador to Egypt on Sunday alleged RSF of carrying out war crimes in El Fasher and announced that the Sudanese government would not engage with the paramilitary group.
The ambassador further encouraged the global community to classify the group as a terrorist organisation.