More than 36,000 Sudanese citizens have escaped since takeover of El Fasher to paramilitary group, says UN agency

More than 36,000 individuals have escaped Sudan's Kordofan territory eastern sector of Darfur beginning Saturday, according to the UN's migration agency.

The key central region separating the country's Darfur provinces and the capital region has in recent weeks become the recent fighting area in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese military forces and the paramilitary group.

Significant Displacement Statistics

An calculated 36,825 people fled five areas in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, per data from the International Organization for Migration.

The individuals, primarily walking, moved toward Tawila, a town western side of El Fasher that is currently housing more than 652,000 refugees.

Heightened Military Presence

Residents of North Kordofan on Monday reported a heavy surge 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 critical supply and command hub that links Darfur to Khartoum.

"Today, all our forces have assembled at the Bara front here," stated an RSF member in a recently shared video message.

Regional Inhabitants Describe Security Concerns

A area citizen of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, stated that the number of RSF vehicles had risen significantly since the group's takeover of El Fasher.

"We stopped going to our farms, afraid of clashes," the individual explained.

Another civilian, who sought confidentiality for security reasons, also confirmed that "there has been a big increase in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the previous fortnight.

World Warnings and Calls

A senior UN official raised the alarm last week about "large-scale atrocities" and "ethnic-based retaliations" by RSF in Bara.

The representative warned of patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been alleged to commit mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.

The spiritual head on Sunday urged an immediate ceasefire and the creation of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and obstacles to humanitarian aid "are causing unacceptable suffering."

Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not discuss with the paramilitary group.

The ambassador further encouraged the global community to designate the group as a terrorist organisation.

Lori Horne
Lori Horne

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