IOM says 650 newly displaced from South Kordofan amid insecurity

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday that around 650 people have been newly displaced from parts of South Kordofan State in southern Sudan over the past two days, as insecurity continues to escalate, Anadolu agency reported.

In a statement, the organisation said that 460 people were displaced from Kadugli, the state capital, on Monday and Tuesday. Most of those displaced travelled to North Kordofan and White Nile states, as well as to the capital, Khartoum.

The IOM said a further 145 people were displaced from the city of Dilling, while another 45 fled the town of Al-Kuweik during the same period, also due to the deteriorating security situation.

It added that displaced families have scattered across various areas of South Kordofan and neighbouring West Kordofan, noting that the security situation in the region remains tense and volatile.

The latest displacement follows an earlier announcement by the organisation on Tuesday that 575 people had fled Kadugli, Dilling and Al-Kuweik on Sunday because of insecurity.

According to United Nations estimates, more than 41,000 people fled escalating violence in North and South Kordofan states during November alone.

The three Kordofan states — North, West and South — have witnessed weeks of intense fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), resulting in the displacement of tens of thousands of civilians.

Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls the five Darfur states in the west, with the exception of parts of North Darfur, which remain under army control. The army continues to hold most of the remaining 13 states, including Khartoum.