At least 36,000 Sudanese people have fled after fall of El Fasher to paramilitary group, reports UN agency

Over 36,000 individuals have fled Sudan's Kordofan region east of Darfur since Saturday, as stated by the UN's migration agency.

The strategic central area between the country's Darfur regions and the Khartoum-Riverine region has during recent weeks become the recent fighting area in the extended civil war between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary group.

Substantial Exodus Numbers

An approximated 36,825 people evacuated from five localities in North Kordofan state between 26 October and 31 October, as reported by the International Organization for Migration.

The civilians, mainly traveling by foot, moved toward Tawila, a town western side of El Fasher that is currently housing over 652,000 displaced people.

Heightened Forces Deployment

Local inhabitants of North Kordofan on Monday reported a substantial rise in both RSF and army presence across communities throughout the state.

Both military groups are competing for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital and a critical supply and command base that joins Darfur to Khartoum.

"Today, all our forces have assembled at the Bara front here," said an RSF member in a recently distributed video statement.

Regional Citizens Describe Safety Fears

A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the amount of RSF vehicles had grown considerably since the group's capture of El Fasher.

"We discontinued traveling to our farms, fearing clashes," the local explained.

Another resident, who sought confidentiality for protection purposes, also indicated that "there has been a big increase in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the previous fortnight.

World Alarms and Appeals

A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "extensive crimes" and "ethnic-based retaliations" by RSF in Bara.

The representative alerted to patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against certain racial groups.

The spiritual head on Sunday urged an immediate ceasefire and the opening of relief routes in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."

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

The diplomat further called on the international community to designate the group as a terrorist group.

Jeffrey Johnson
Jeffrey Johnson

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