At least 36,000 Sudanese have evacuated after capture of El Fasher to Rapid Support Forces, reports UN agency

More than 36,000 people have fled Sudan's Kordofan area eastern sector of Darfur since Saturday, according to the UN's migration organization.

The important central zone connecting the country's Darfur provinces and the Khartoum-Riverine region has in recent weeks become the latest battleground in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary group.

Significant Evacuation Figures

An estimated 36,825 people evacuated from five districts in North Kordofan state between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The people, primarily walking, moved toward Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently accommodating more than 652,000 refugees.

Heightened Military Presence

Local inhabitants of North Kordofan on Monday reported a significant increase in both RSF and army presence across urban and rural areas throughout the state.

Both armed factions are vying for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital and a important strategic and command base that connects Darfur to Khartoum.

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

Area Inhabitants Report Security Concerns

A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, reported that the amount of RSF vehicles had increased significantly since the group's capture of El Fasher.

"We stopped going to our farms, fearing fighting," the local commented.

Another inhabitant, who sought confidentiality for protection purposes, also confirmed that "there has been a significant rise in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the previous fortnight.

World Warnings and Requests

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

The official alerted to patterns echoing those in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.

The church leader on Sunday appealed for an immediate ceasefire and the opening of relief routes in Sudan, saying that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are creating unacceptable suffering."

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

The representative further called on the international community to categorize the group as a terrorist organisation.