At least 36,000 Sudanese have evacuated following capture of El Fasher to Rapid Support Forces, says UN agency
More than 36,000 people have evacuated from Sudan's Kordofan territory east of Darfur beginning Saturday, as reported by the UN's immigration body.
The strategic central area connecting the country's Darfur areas and the Khartoum-Riverine region has over recent weeks become the recent fighting area in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese military forces and the paramilitary forces.
Massive Evacuation Numbers
An estimated 36,825 people evacuated from five districts in North Kordofan region between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The civilians, mainly traveling by foot, moved toward Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently housing over 652,000 refugees.
Heightened Forces Deployment
Local inhabitants of North Kordofan on Monday reported a substantial rise in both RSF and army deployment across communities throughout the state.
Both military groups are vying for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan regional capital and a critical supply and command hub 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.
Local Inhabitants Report Protection Issues
A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the quantity of RSF vehicles had increased considerably since the group's capture of El Fasher.
"We discontinued traveling to our farms, afraid of clashes," the resident explained.
Another inhabitant, who requested anonymity for safety concerns, also reported that "there has been a substantial growth in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the past two weeks.
Global Alarms and Calls
A senior UN official expressed concerns last week about "extensive crimes" and "ethnic-based retaliations" by RSF in Bara.
The diplomat alerted to patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been alleged to commit mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.
The church leader on Sunday called for an prompt truce and the establishment of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and hindrances to humanitarian aid "are creating unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and announced that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the paramilitary group.
The ambassador further encouraged the international community to designate the group as a terrorist organisation.
