At least 36,000 Sudanese citizens have escaped since capture of El Fasher to paramilitary group, reports UN agency

More than 36,000 people have evacuated from Sudan's Kordofan region east of Darfur since Saturday, as stated by the UN's migration organization.

The important central zone connecting the country's Darfur areas and the Khartoum-Riverine area has over recent weeks become the recent fighting area in the 24-month civil conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary group.

Substantial Evacuation Figures

An estimated 36,825 people escaped five localities in North Kordofan region between 26 October and 31 October, per data from the International Organization for Migration.

The individuals, most on foot, traveled to Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently housing more than 652,000 refugees.

Heightened Troop Concentration

Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday reported a significant increase in both RSF and army presence across urban and rural areas throughout the state.

Both military groups are contesting control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan regional capital and a critical supply and command center that joins Darfur to Khartoum.

"Today, all our forces have assembled at the Bara front here," commented an RSF member in a recently distributed video statement.

Regional Inhabitants Detail Safety Fears

A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, stated that the amount of RSF vehicles had risen significantly since the group's capture of El Fasher.

"We stopped going to our farms, fearing clashes," the individual stated.

Another inhabitant, who sought confidentiality for security reasons, also reported that "there has been a significant rise 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 "ethnic-based retaliations" by RSF in Bara.

The representative warned of patterns similar to those in Darfur, where RSF fighters have been alleged to commit mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.

The religious leader on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are causing unacceptable suffering."

Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and stated that the Sudanese government would not engage with the militia organization.

The representative further called on the international community to designate the group as a terrorist group.

Jessica Andrade
Jessica Andrade

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