IOM says 1,000 people displaced in north Darfur as security deteriorates

Around 1,000 people were displaced from three villages in Sudan’s North Darfur state in a single day amid worsening security linked to fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday.

In a statement, the UN agency said the displacement occurred last Thursday in the Um Baru locality, affecting residents of the villages of Korabia, Qurbura and Wadi Arkuri.

The IOM said most of the displaced families had crossed Sudan’s western border into neighbouring Chad.

“The situation remains tense and volatile,” the organization said, adding that it was continuing to monitor developments in the affected areas.

The latest displacement follows further population movements reported elsewhere in North Darfur earlier this month.

READ: Sudanese army takes control of areas in North, South Kordofan: Military sources

On 14th September, the IOM said 1,180 people had been displaced from the villages of Hilla Salih and Kalkol in the El Fasher locality because of escalating insecurity.

Darfur remains one of the main battlegrounds in the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF. The paramilitary group controls large parts of the region, while the army and allied forces retain control or influence in some areas of North and West Darfur.

The Sudanese army, meanwhile, controls most of the country’s other states, including the capital, Khartoum, although fighting and shifting front lines continue in several regions.

Sudan’s war began in April 2023 after tensions between the army and RSF escalated into open conflict amid disagreements over the planned integration of the paramilitary force into the country’s regular military.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and created one of the world’s largest displacement crises, with around 13 million people forced from their homes, according to figures cited in the report.

READ: Nearly 100,000 displaced in Sudan’s Blue Nile state since January amid fighting: UN agency