Over 36,000 civilians have escaped from towns and villages in Sudan’s Kordofan region, east of Darfur, as new clashes erupt between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to a report by the United Nations.
The UN’s migration agency stated that approximately 36,825 people fled five areas in North Kordofan in late October following intensified fighting.
Central Kordofan has become a critical front in the two-year conflict, positioned between Sudan’s Darfur provinces and the capital region near Khartoum. The RSF recently seized el-Fasher, the army’s final fortress in Darfur, and established a rival administration to challenge the pro-army government in Port Sudan.
“Residents reported a heavy buildup of both RSF and army forces across towns and villages in North Kordofan,” the report noted.
Both sides are now fighting for control of el-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan and a vital hub that connects Darfur to Khartoum. The RSF reportedly captured Bara, a city north of el-Obeid, the previous week.
The United Nations has expressed alarm over the escalating violence and the mass displacement emerging from new battle zones forming in central Sudan.
Author’s summary: Over 36,000 Sudanese civilians have fled expanding conflict zones in Kordofan as UN officials warn of worsening instability and displacement across central Sudan.