More than 36,000 Sudanese citizens have escaped since takeover of El Fasher to RSF, states UN agency
More than 36,000 people have fled Sudan's Kordofan region eastern part of Darfur since Saturday, as stated by the UN's migration organization.
The important central zone between the country's Darfur regions and the capital region has over recent weeks become the latest battleground in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese military forces and the paramilitary forces.
Significant Exodus Numbers
An calculated 36,825 people escaped five districts in North Kordofan region between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The civilians, most on foot, moved toward Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently accommodating more than 652,000 evacuated individuals.
Escalated Military Presence
Residents of North Kordofan on Monday noted a substantial rise in both RSF and army presence across towns and villages throughout the state.
Both armed factions are competing for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a important strategic and command base that joins Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have assembled at the Bara front here," commented an RSF member in a recently circulated video statement.
Regional Inhabitants Detail Security Concerns
A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, reported that the number of RSF vehicles had increased substantially since the group's capture of El Fasher.
"We ceased visiting our farms, fearing fighting," the individual commented.
Another civilian, who requested anonymity for safety concerns, also confirmed that "there has been a significant rise in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the last fourteen days.
World Warnings and Calls
A senior UN official raised the alarm last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The diplomat warned of patterns similar to those in Darfur, where RSF militants 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 relief routes in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are causing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of carrying out war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not discuss with the paramilitary group.
The diplomat further called on the world nations to designate the group as a terrorist organisation.