Over 36,000 Sudanese have escaped since takeover of El Fasher to paramilitary group, reports UN agency
More than 36,000 civilians have fled Sudan's Kordofan territory eastern part of Darfur starting Saturday, according to the UN's migration agency.
The strategic central area connecting the country's Darfur areas and the capital region has over recent weeks become the newest conflict zone in the extended civil war between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary forces.
Significant Evacuation Numbers
An estimated 36,825 people fled five districts in North Kordofan state between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The civilians, most on foot, headed to Tawila, a town western side of El Fasher that is currently sheltering in excess of 652,000 refugees.
Escalated Troop Concentration
Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday described a significant increase in both RSF and army concentration across urban and rural areas throughout the state.
Both armed factions are competing for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital and a key logistics 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 Inhabitants Report Security Concerns
A area citizen of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, stated that the quantity of RSF vehicles had risen significantly since the group's takeover of El Fasher.
"We stopped going to our farms, concerned about confrontations," the local stated.
Another civilian, who sought confidentiality for security reasons, also indicated that "there has been a substantial growth in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the past two weeks.
International Warnings and Calls
A senior UN official raised the alarm last week about "extensive crimes" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The official cautioned about patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.
The religious leader on Sunday appealed for an immediate ceasefire and the creation of aid passageways in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and hindrances to humanitarian aid "are creating unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's diplomatic representative to Egypt on Sunday charged RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and stated that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the armed faction.
The ambassador further urged the global community to classify the group as a terrorist group.