Over 36,000 Sudanese citizens have evacuated after capture of El Fasher to paramilitary group, reports UN agency

More than 36,000 civilians have evacuated from Sudan's Kordofan region east of Darfur since Saturday, as stated by the UN's immigration body.

The strategic central area separating the country's Darfur provinces and the Khartoum-Riverine area has over recent weeks become the newest conflict zone in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary forces.

Substantial Displacement Figures

An approximated 36,825 people escaped five localities in North Kordofan region between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The civilians, primarily walking, traveled to Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently housing in excess of 652,000 evacuated individuals.

Increased Military Presence

Local inhabitants of North Kordofan on Monday noted a heavy surge in both RSF and army concentration across communities throughout the state.

Both forces are vying for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a key logistics and command base that joins Darfur to Khartoum.

"Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here," stated an RSF member in a recently circulated video declaration.

Local Citizens Detail Protection Issues

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

"We ceased visiting our farms, fearing clashes," the individual explained.

Another civilian, who asked to remain unnamed for protection purposes, also reported that "there has been a big increase in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the past two weeks.

Global Alarms and Requests

A senior UN official expressed concerns last week about "large-scale atrocities" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.

The representative alerted to patterns comparable to patterns 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 called for an immediate ceasefire and the creation of relief routes in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and hindrances to humanitarian aid "are creating unacceptable suffering."

Sudan's ambassador to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not engage with the paramilitary group.

The ambassador further encouraged the international community to classify the group as a terrorist organisation.

Natalie Crane
Natalie Crane

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