Over 36,000 Sudanese citizens have escaped after fall of El Fasher to paramilitary group, states UN agency

In excess of 36,000 individuals have fled Sudan's Kordofan area east of Darfur since Saturday, as stated by the UN's migration organization.

The key central region separating the country's Darfur regions and the Khartoum-Riverine region has over recent weeks become the latest battleground in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary group.

Massive Evacuation Numbers

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

The people, primarily walking, headed to Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently sheltering over 652,000 refugees.

Increased Troop Concentration

Residents of North Kordofan on Monday described a substantial rise in both RSF and army concentration across communities throughout the state.

Both armed factions are competing for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital and a key logistics and command center that joins Darfur to Khartoum.

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

Local Citizens Detail Protection Issues

A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, stated that the quantity of RSF vehicles had grown significantly since the group's takeover of El Fasher.

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

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

International Concerns and Calls

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

The diplomat warned of patterns similar to those in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been alleged to commit mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.

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

Sudan's diplomatic representative to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and announced that the Sudanese government would not engage with the militia organization.

The diplomat further urged the global community to categorize the group as a terrorist group.

Teresa Perry
Teresa Perry

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