🔗 Share this article More than 36,000 Sudanese citizens have evacuated after capture of El Fasher to Rapid Support Forces, states UN agency More than 36,000 civilians have escaped Sudan's Kordofan area eastern part of Darfur since Saturday, according to the UN's migration organization. The important central zone connecting the country's Darfur provinces and the capital region has during recent weeks become the recent fighting area in the extended civil war between the Sudanese armed forces and the militia group. Substantial Displacement Numbers An estimated 36,825 people evacuated from five areas in North Kordofan state between 26 October and 31 October, per data from the International Organization for Migration. The civilians, mainly traveling by foot, headed to Tawila, a town western side of El Fasher that is currently sheltering in excess of 652,000 evacuated individuals. Increased Forces Deployment Local inhabitants of North Kordofan on Monday noted a heavy surge in both RSF and army deployment across communities throughout the state. Both military groups are contesting control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan regional capital and a critical supply and command center that connects Darfur to Khartoum. "Today, all our forces have gathered at the Bara front here," commented an RSF member in a recently shared video declaration. Regional Inhabitants Detail Security Concerns A area citizen of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, reported that the number of RSF vehicles had risen significantly since the group's seizure of El Fasher. "We stopped going to our farms, concerned about clashes," the individual explained. Another inhabitant, who sought confidentiality 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 previous fortnight. International Concerns and Calls A senior UN official raised the alarm last week about "large-scale atrocities" and "ethnic-based retaliations" by RSF in Bara. The official cautioned about patterns comparable to patterns in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been alleged to commit mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against specific ethnic communities. The church leader on Sunday called for an quick cessation of hostilities and the establishment of relief routes in Sudan, saying that attacks on civilians and hindrances to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering." Sudan's diplomatic representative to Egypt on Sunday charged RSF of carrying out war crimes in El Fasher and stated that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the armed faction. The representative further encouraged the global community to classify the group as a terrorist organisation.