🔗 Share this article At least 36,000 Sudanese people have escaped following capture of El Fasher to RSF, says UN agency Over 36,000 individuals have escaped Sudan's Kordofan region eastern sector of Darfur beginning Saturday, according to the UN's migration agency. The key central region between the country's Darfur regions and the capital region has in recent weeks become the recent fighting area in the extended civil war between the Sudanese military forces and the paramilitary group. Significant Displacement Figures An calculated 36,825 people evacuated from five localities in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, as reported by the International Organization for Migration. The people, mainly traveling by foot, headed to Tawila, a town western side of El Fasher that is currently sheltering in excess of 652,000 displaced people. Increased Military Presence Local inhabitants of North Kordofan on Monday described a substantial rise in both RSF and army deployment across urban and rural areas throughout the state. Both armed factions are vying for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a important strategic and command center that links Darfur to Khartoum. "Today, all our forces have gathered at the Bara front here," commented an RSF member in a recently circulated video statement. Regional Residents Detail Security Concerns A area citizen of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, stated that the amount of RSF vehicles had increased considerably since the group's capture of El Fasher. "We discontinued traveling to our farms, afraid of clashes," the local stated. Another civilian, who asked to remain unnamed for security reasons, also indicated that "there has been a big increase in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the last fourteen days. World Alarms and Appeals A senior UN official expressed concerns last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnic-based retaliations" by RSF in Bara. The representative warned of patterns echoing those in Darfur, where RSF militants have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups. The religious leader on Sunday appealed for an quick cessation of hostilities and the creation of relief routes in Sudan, saying that attacks on civilians and hindrances to humanitarian aid "are creating unacceptable suffering." Sudan's ambassador to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and announced that the Sudanese government would not discuss with the paramilitary group. The representative further called on the global community to categorize the group as a terrorist group.