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Over 36,000 civilians have fled Sudan's Kordofan region eastern part of Darfur since Saturday, according to the UN's migration organization.

The strategic central area separating the country's Darfur provinces and the Khartoum-Riverine region has over recent weeks become the latest battleground in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese army and the militia group.

Substantial Exodus Numbers

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

The civilians, mainly traveling by foot, headed to Tawila, a town to the west of El Fasher that is currently accommodating in excess of 652,000 evacuated individuals.

Heightened Military Presence

Residents of North Kordofan on Monday described a substantial rise in both RSF and army deployment across communities throughout the state.

Both forces are contesting control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan regional capital and a critical supply and command hub that joins Darfur to Khartoum.

"Today, all our forces have assembled at the Bara front here," stated an RSF member in a recently shared video statement.

Regional Residents Describe Protection Issues

A resident of Um Smeima, located west of El Obeid, reported that the amount of RSF vehicles had increased significantly since the group's seizure of El Fasher.

"We stopped going to our farms, concerned about fighting," the local stated.

Another civilian, who asked to remain unnamed for security reasons, also confirmed that "there has been a substantial growth in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the previous fortnight.

International Concerns and Appeals

A senior UN official raised the alarm last week about "widespread abuses" and "ethnic-based retaliations" by RSF in Bara.

The representative warned of patterns similar to those in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been charged with mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.

The spiritual head on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of relief routes in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and impediments to humanitarian aid "are creating unacceptable suffering."

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

The representative further called on the global community to classify the group as a terrorist entity.