🔗 Share this article

Over 36,000 civilians have escaped Sudan's Kordofan area eastern part of Darfur beginning Saturday, as reported by the UN's migration organization.

The strategic central area separating 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 military forces and the paramilitary group.

Massive Exodus Numbers

An estimated 36,825 people fled five areas in North Kordofan region between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The individuals, mainly traveling by foot, headed to Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently accommodating more than 652,000 displaced people.

Escalated Military Presence

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

Both forces are contesting control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a key logistics and command center that joins Darfur to Khartoum.

"Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here," commented an RSF member in a recently distributed video statement.

Local Inhabitants Detail Security Concerns

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

"We stopped going to our farms, fearing clashes," the local explained.

Another inhabitant, who requested anonymity for security reasons, also confirmed that "there has been a big increase in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the last fourteen days.

World Concerns and Appeals

A senior UN official expressed concerns last week about "large-scale atrocities" and "race-driven revenge attacks" by RSF in Bara.

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

The religious leader on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire and the creation of relief routes in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and obstacles to humanitarian aid "are causing unacceptable suffering."

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

The ambassador further called on the world nations to designate the group as a terrorist entity.