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In excess of 36,000 individuals have evacuated from Sudan's Kordofan region eastern sector of Darfur starting Saturday, according to the UN's migration agency.

The important central zone connecting the country's Darfur provinces and the Khartoum-Riverine region has in recent weeks become the newest conflict zone in the 24-month civil conflict between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary forces.

Massive Displacement Statistics

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

The people, most on foot, traveled to Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently sheltering more than 652,000 evacuated individuals.

Increased Forces Deployment

Local inhabitants of North Kordofan on Monday described a heavy surge in both RSF and army presence across towns and villages throughout the state.

Both armed factions are competing for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital and a key logistics and command base that joins Darfur to Khartoum.

"Today, all our forces have gathered at the Bara front here," said an RSF member in a recently circulated video message.

Local Residents Describe Safety Fears

A area citizen of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, reported that the number of RSF vehicles had grown considerably since the group's capture of El Fasher.

"We stopped going to our farms, afraid of confrontations," the individual commented.

Another resident, who requested anonymity for safety concerns, also reported 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 expressed concerns last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.

The representative cautioned about patterns echoing those in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against certain racial groups.

The church leader on Sunday urged an immediate ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and hindrances to humanitarian aid "are causing unacceptable suffering."

Sudan's ambassador to Egypt on Sunday alleged RSF of carrying out war crimes in El Fasher and announced that the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the paramilitary group.

The representative further called on the international community to categorize the group as a terrorist group.