More than 36,000 Sudanese people have fled following fall of El Fasher to RSF, reports UN agency

More than 36,000 individuals have evacuated from Sudan's Kordofan territory eastern sector of Darfur beginning Saturday, according to the UN's migration agency.

The key central region between the country's Darfur areas and the Khartoum-Riverine region has in recent weeks become the newest conflict zone in the 24-month civil conflict between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary group.

Massive Displacement Statistics

An approximated 36,825 people fled five areas in North Kordofan region between 26 October and 31 October, as reported by the International Organization for Migration.

The people, primarily walking, headed to Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently accommodating in excess of 652,000 refugees.

Escalated Troop Concentration

Citizens 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 contesting control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital and a critical supply and command hub that links Darfur to Khartoum.

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

Area Residents Detail Security Concerns

A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the amount of RSF vehicles had risen substantially since the group's takeover of El Fasher.

"We stopped going to our farms, afraid of confrontations," the local stated.

Another inhabitant, who requested anonymity for security reasons, also confirmed that "there has been a big increase in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the previous fortnight.

International Warnings and Appeals

A senior UN official raised the alarm last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnic-based retaliations" by RSF in Bara.

The diplomat cautioned about patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF militants have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.

The church leader on Sunday called for an prompt truce and the creation of aid passageways in Sudan, saying that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are causing unacceptable suffering."

Sudan's ambassador to Egypt on Sunday alleged RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not engage with the militia organization.

The ambassador further encouraged the world nations to categorize the group as a terrorist group.