🔗 Share this article

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

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

Massive Displacement Statistics

An calculated 36,825 people escaped five districts in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, as reported by the International Organization for Migration.

The people, most on foot, headed to Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently housing in excess of 652,000 displaced people.

Escalated Military Presence

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

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

"Today, all our forces have assembled at the Bara front here," commented an RSF member in a recently circulated video declaration.

Local Inhabitants Detail Protection Issues

A area citizen of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the quantity of RSF vehicles had risen substantially since the group's capture of El Fasher.

"We stopped going to our farms, afraid of fighting," the local stated.

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

Global Concerns and Appeals

A senior UN official expressed concerns last week about "extensive crimes" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.

The diplomat cautioned about patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF militants have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.

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

Sudan's ambassador to Egypt on Sunday charged RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and stated that the Sudanese government would not discuss with the armed faction.

The representative further encouraged the global community to categorize the group as a terrorist entity.