At least 36,000 Sudanese have fled following capture of El Fasher to Rapid Support Forces, says UN agency
More than 36,000 people have escaped Sudan's Kordofan region eastern part of Darfur since Saturday, according to the UN's immigration body.
The important central zone between the country's Darfur provinces and the capital region has in recent weeks become the recent fighting area in the extended civil war between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary group.
Substantial Evacuation Numbers
An approximated 36,825 people evacuated from five areas 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 to the west of El Fasher that is currently accommodating over 652,000 evacuated individuals.
Increased Forces Deployment
Residents of North Kordofan on Monday reported a substantial rise in both RSF and army concentration across urban and rural areas throughout the state.
Both forces are contesting control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital and a key logistics and command hub that joins Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here," said an RSF member in a recently circulated video statement.
Regional Inhabitants Detail Protection Issues
A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, reported that the number of RSF vehicles had risen substantially since the group's seizure of El Fasher.
"We discontinued traveling to our farms, afraid of fighting," the resident explained.
Another inhabitant, who asked to remain unnamed for security reasons, also confirmed that "there has been a substantial growth in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the previous fortnight.
International Concerns and Calls
A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The official cautioned about patterns echoing those in Darfur, where RSF militants have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against certain racial groups.
The spiritual head on Sunday called for an quick cessation of hostilities and the creation of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, saying that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's diplomatic representative to Egypt on Sunday alleged RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the armed faction.
The diplomat further urged the international community to classify the group as a terrorist organisation.
