🔗 Share this article More than 36,000 Sudanese citizens have evacuated since fall of El Fasher to paramilitary group, says UN agency Over 36,000 people have escaped Sudan's Kordofan area eastern part of Darfur since Saturday, according to the UN's immigration body. The key central region 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 paramilitary group. Significant Exodus Numbers An calculated 36,825 people fled five localities in North Kordofan region between 26 October and 31 October, according to the International Organization for Migration. The people, mainly traveling by foot, traveled to Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently sheltering over 652,000 displaced people. Escalated Military Presence Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday described a significant increase in both RSF and army presence across towns and villages throughout the state. Both armed factions are contesting control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a critical supply and command base that links Darfur to Khartoum. "Today, all our forces have assembled at the Bara front here," commented an RSF member in a recently distributed video declaration. Local Citizens Report Protection Issues A local inhabitant of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, described that the amount of RSF vehicles had grown significantly since the group's seizure of El Fasher. "We stopped going to our farms, concerned about clashes," the local stated. Another resident, who sought confidentiality for safety concerns, also reported that "there has been a significant rise in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the last fourteen days. World Concerns and Appeals A senior UN official sounded warnings last week about "large-scale atrocities" and "race-driven revenge attacks" by RSF in Bara. The official cautioned about patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF fighters have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups. The church leader on Sunday appealed for an immediate ceasefire and the opening of aid passageways in Sudan, stating that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are creating unacceptable suffering." Sudan's official envoy to Egypt on Sunday accused RSF of committing war crimes in El Fasher and stated that the Sudanese government would not discuss with the paramilitary group. The diplomat further encouraged the global community to classify the group as a terrorist entity.