Sudan Crisis Escalates: Thousands Flee Amid Intensified Violence

Cairo, Nov 10 (AP) The United Nations migration agency reported intensified fighting in central Sudan, which has displaced approximately 2,000 people over the past three days.

This development is part of a prolonged conflict that has ravaged the country for over two years, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands.

The International Organisation for Migration stated that residents fled from multiple towns and villages near Bara in the North Kordofan province between Friday and Sunday.

Kordofan, along with the western Darfur region, has recently been the epicenter of hostilities between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

These regions have witnessed significant violence, with the RSF's capture of the strategic city of el-Fasher in Darfur resulting in hundreds of casualties.

Countless individuals have sought refuge in overcrowded camps to escape atrocities reportedly committed by the paramilitary forces, according to reports from aid groups and United Nations officials.

The civil conflict, which erupted in 2023, stemmed from rising tensions between the RSF and the Sudanese military.

Both were initially aligned to facilitate a democratic transition following the 2019 uprising.

According to the World Health Organisation, the ongoing violence has claimed at least 40,000 lives and displaced an estimated 12 million people. Aid groups believe that the actual death toll could be significantly higher.

In late October, RSF fighters initiated deadly attacks in the town of Bara, North Kordofan, killing at least 47 individuals, including women and children, as reported by the Sudan Doctors Network.

Residents have been fleeing from several locations, including Bara, Sheikhan, ArRahad, Um Rawaba, Um Siala, and Sakra.

The International Organisation for Migration estimates that about 38,990 people fled between October 26 and November 9.

Displaced individuals are primarily heading north toward the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, the adjacent Omdurman region, and the Sheikan area in North Kordofan.

On Monday, the RSF claimed that a significant number of its fighters had reached Babanusa in West Kordofan province and were advancing toward the army headquarters.

Salah Semsaya, a volunteer with the Emergency Response Rooms initiative, mentioned that there was a noticeable decline in families seeking food from charity kitchens.

This suggested that many might have fled Babanusa, although definitive numbers are unavailable.

In addition, the Sudan Doctors Network reported on Sunday that the RSF has been collecting hundreds of bodies in Darfur's el-Fasher city, hiding them in mass graves or burning them.

They described these actions as an attempt to erase evidence of crimes against civilians.

Previously analyzed satellite images supported allegations of RSF's disposal of bodies post their takeover in el-Fasher.

The Colorado-based firm Vantor identified anomalies in satellite imagery showing fires at the Saudi hospital in el-Fasher.

The Yale School of Public Health's Humanitarian Research Lab interpreted these images as possible evidence of the burning of bodies. (AP)

(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)