More than 36,000 Sudanese people have evacuated after fall of El Fasher to Rapid Support Forces, reports UN agency
In excess of 36,000 civilians have evacuated from Sudan's Kordofan region eastern sector of Darfur starting Saturday, according to the UN's immigration body.
The strategic central area connecting the country's Darfur areas and the Khartoum-Riverine area has during recent weeks become the recent fighting area in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary group.
Massive Displacement Numbers
An estimated 36,825 people evacuated from five areas in North Kordofan state between 26 October and 31 October, as reported by the International Organization for Migration.
The civilians, primarily walking, moved toward Tawila, a town western side of El Fasher that is currently housing over 652,000 evacuated individuals.
Increased Military Presence
Local inhabitants of North Kordofan on Monday noted a significant increase in both RSF and army presence across towns and villages throughout the state.
Both forces are contesting control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan regional capital and a important strategic and command hub that connects Darfur to Khartoum.
"Today, all our forces have assembled at the Bara front here," commented an RSF member in a recently distributed video declaration.
Regional Residents Report Safety Fears
A area citizen of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, stated that the quantity of RSF vehicles had grown significantly since the group's capture of El Fasher.
"We ceased visiting our farms, concerned about confrontations," the resident commented.
Another inhabitant, who requested anonymity for safety concerns, also confirmed that "there has been a big increase in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the last fourteen days.
International Concerns and Appeals
A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.
The representative alerted to patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF fighters have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.
The religious leader on Sunday appealed for an immediate ceasefire and the creation of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and obstacles to humanitarian aid "are creating unacceptable suffering."
Sudan's ambassador to Egypt on Sunday charged RSF of carrying out war crimes in El Fasher and stated that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the militia organization.
The representative further encouraged the international community to designate the group as a terrorist group.