🔗 Share this article Over 36,000 Sudanese people have fled after fall of El Fasher to RSF, says UN agency In excess of 36,000 individuals have fled Sudan's Kordofan area eastern sector of Darfur since Saturday, according to the UN's migration agency. The strategic central area separating the country's Darfur regions and the Khartoum-Riverine region has over recent weeks become the latest battleground in the 24-month civil conflict between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary group. Significant Exodus Figures An approximated 36,825 people evacuated from five districts in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, as reported by the International Organization for Migration. The people, mainly traveling by foot, traveled to Tawila, a town western side of El Fasher that is currently accommodating more than 652,000 refugees. Escalated Forces Deployment Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday reported a significant increase in both RSF and army presence across communities throughout the state. Both military groups are competing for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a critical supply and command base that joins Darfur to Khartoum. "Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here," commented an RSF member in a recently shared video statement. Regional Citizens Describe Security Concerns A area citizen of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the number of RSF vehicles had grown substantially since the group's takeover of El Fasher. "We stopped going to our farms, fearing fighting," the resident commented. Another civilian, who sought confidentiality for security reasons, also reported that "there has been a big increase in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the last fourteen days. International Warnings and Calls A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnic-based retaliations" by RSF in Bara. The diplomat cautioned about patterns similar to those in Darfur, where RSF fighters have been alleged to commit mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against certain racial groups. The religious leader on Sunday urged an prompt truce and the opening of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, saying that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are causing unacceptable suffering." Sudan's diplomatic representative to Egypt on Sunday alleged RSF of carrying out war crimes in El Fasher and stated that the Sudanese government would not engage with the paramilitary group. The ambassador further urged the global community to designate the group as a terrorist group.