🔗 Share this article

In excess of 36,000 people have fled Sudan's Kordofan region eastern sector of Darfur beginning Saturday, according to the UN's immigration body.

The strategic central area connecting the country's Darfur provinces and the capital region has during recent weeks become the newest conflict zone in the extended civil war between the Sudanese military forces and the militia group.

Massive Displacement Numbers

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

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

Heightened Troop Concentration

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

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

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

Local Citizens Report Protection Issues

A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, reported 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 fighting," the resident commented.

Another resident, who sought confidentiality for safety concerns, also confirmed that "there has been a substantial growth in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the past two weeks.

International Alarms and Requests

A senior UN official raised the alarm last week about "extensive crimes" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.

The representative warned of patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF militants have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities.

The religious leader on Sunday appealed for an prompt truce and the establishment of relief routes in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."

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

The diplomat further urged the international community to designate the group as a terrorist group.