Over 36,000 Sudanese people have escaped after takeover of El Fasher to RSF, reports UN agency

More than 36,000 civilians have escaped Sudan's Kordofan region eastern part of Darfur since Saturday, according to the UN's immigration body.

The strategic central area separating the country's Darfur areas and the Khartoum-Riverine region has during recent weeks become the latest battleground in the extended civil war between the Sudanese military forces and the paramilitary forces.

Substantial Displacement Figures

An estimated 36,825 people evacuated from five districts in North Kordofan region between 26 October and 31 October, as reported by the International Organization for Migration.

The civilians, most on foot, traveled to Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently housing over 652,000 refugees.

Heightened Troop Concentration

Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday described a substantial rise in both RSF and army presence across communities throughout the state.

Both armed factions are competing for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial 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 message.

Area Residents Report Security Concerns

A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the amount of RSF vehicles had grown substantially since the group's capture of El Fasher.

"We stopped going to our farms, concerned about fighting," the local commented.

Another resident, who requested anonymity for protection purposes, also indicated that "there has been a significant rise in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the last fourteen days.

Global Concerns and Appeals

A senior UN official raised the alarm last week about "extensive crimes" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.

The representative cautioned about patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.

The religious leader on Sunday urged an prompt truce and the creation of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."

Sudan's ambassador to Egypt on Sunday charged RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and stated that the Sudanese government would not engage with the armed faction.

The diplomat further called on the global community to designate the group as a terrorist entity.

Ralph Shepherd
Ralph Shepherd

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