🔗 Share this article Over 36,000 Sudanese citizens have evacuated following fall of El Fasher to Rapid Support Forces, reports UN agency More than 36,000 civilians have fled Sudan's Kordofan region east of Darfur beginning Saturday, according to the UN's migration organization. The key central region between the country's Darfur areas and the capital region has during recent weeks become the recent fighting area in the 24-month civil conflict between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary forces. Massive Displacement Numbers An approximated 36,825 people escaped five districts in North Kordofan province between 26 October and 31 October, per data from the International Organization for Migration. The individuals, most on foot, headed to Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently housing over 652,000 displaced people. Escalated Forces Deployment Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday noted a significant increase in both RSF and army presence across communities throughout the state. Both armed factions are competing for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan regional capital and a key logistics and command center that links Darfur to Khartoum. "Today, all our forces have gathered at the Bara front here," stated an RSF member in a recently distributed video declaration. Area Residents Report Security Concerns A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, stated that the amount of RSF vehicles had risen substantially since the group's seizure of El Fasher. "We stopped going to our farms, concerned about clashes," the resident explained. Another civilian, who requested anonymity for safety concerns, also indicated that "there has been a significant rise in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the last fourteen days. World Alarms and Appeals A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara. The official warned of patterns echoing those in Darfur, where RSF fighters have been alleged to commit mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities. The spiritual head on Sunday called for an quick cessation of hostilities and the establishment of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering." Sudan's diplomatic representative to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and announced that the Sudanese government would not discuss with the paramilitary group. The representative further urged the international community to categorize the group as a terrorist entity.