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More than 36,000 people have evacuated from Sudan's Kordofan region east of Darfur beginning Saturday, according to the UN's migration organization.

The important central zone separating the country's Darfur areas and the Khartoum-Riverine region has over recent weeks become the newest conflict zone in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary group.

Substantial Evacuation Statistics

An estimated 36,825 people escaped five areas in North Kordofan state between 26 October and 31 October, as reported by the International Organization for Migration.

The people, mainly traveling by foot, headed to Tawila, a town west of El Fasher that is currently sheltering more than 652,000 refugees.

Heightened Troop Concentration

Citizens of North Kordofan on Monday reported a substantial rise in both RSF and army concentration across communities throughout the state.

Both military groups are vying for control of El Obeid, the North Kordofan provincial capital and a critical supply and command hub that links Darfur to Khartoum.

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

Local Residents Describe Protection Issues

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

"We discontinued traveling to our farms, concerned about clashes," the individual stated.

Another resident, who requested anonymity for protection purposes, also indicated that "there has been a big increase in army vehicles and weapons west and south of El Obeid" over the past two weeks.

International Concerns and Appeals

A senior UN official raised the alarm last week about "extensive crimes" and "ethnically motivated reprisals" by RSF in Bara.

The official alerted to patterns echoing those in Darfur, where RSF combatants have been accused of mass killings, sexual violence and abductions against non-Arab ethnic groups.

The spiritual head on Sunday called for an quick cessation of hostilities and the opening of relief routes in Sudan, declaring that attacks on civilians and hindrances to humanitarian aid "are producing unacceptable suffering."

Sudan's diplomatic representative to Egypt on Sunday charged RSF of perpetrating war crimes in El Fasher and declared that the Sudanese government would not engage with the militia organization.

The diplomat further encouraged the international community to classify the group as a terrorist entity.