Over 36,000 Sudanese people have escaped since capture of El Fasher to RSF, states UN agency
Over 36,000 people have escaped Sudan's Kordofan area east of Darfur since Saturday, according to the UN's immigration body.
The important central zone connecting the country's Darfur areas and the Khartoum-Riverine region has during recent weeks become the recent fighting area in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese military forces and the paramilitary group.
Substantial Exodus Statistics
An estimated 36,825 people fled five localities in North Kordofan state between 26 October and 31 October, per data from the International Organization for Migration.
The people, most on foot, headed to Tawila, a town western side of El Fasher that is currently accommodating over 652,000 refugees.
Escalated Forces Deployment
Residents of North Kordofan on Monday noted a substantial rise in both RSF and army deployment across urban and rural areas throughout the state.
Both military groups are competing for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a important strategic and command hub that joins Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have gathered at the Bara front here," said an RSF member in a recently shared video statement.
Area Residents Describe Safety Fears
A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the quantity of RSF vehicles had risen substantially since the group's seizure of El Fasher.
"We ceased visiting our farms, concerned about fighting," the individual explained.
Another resident, who requested anonymity 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.
Global Alarms and Calls
A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "large-scale atrocities" and "ethnic-based retaliations" by RSF in Bara.
The representative cautioned about patterns echoing those in Darfur, where RSF fighters have been alleged to commit mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.
The church leader on Sunday appealed for an quick cessation of hostilities and the establishment of relief routes in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and stated that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the paramilitary group.
The diplomat further called on the international community to categorize the group as a terrorist group.