IOM reports more than 106,000 people displaced from El-Fasher and surrounding villages as RSF advances intensify insecurity and humanitarian needs.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that the number of people displaced from the city of El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and nearby villages has risen to 106,387, as violence continues to escalate across the region. According to IOM, tens of thousands fled their homes after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of several areas around the city, forcing civilians to escape under harsh and unsafe conditions.

 The displaced population has now spread across 37 localities in 11 of Sudan’s 18 states, creating severe pressure on already strained host communities and aid mechanisms. IOM emphasized that continuous population movements, ongoing clashes, and the absence of safe humanitarian corridors have made the situation unstable and increasingly dangerous.

Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 15, 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the foreign-backed RSF, resulting in mass displacement, civilian casualties, and widespread destruction.

Since the war erupted in April 2023, Darfur has become the epicenter of one of the world’s fastest-growing humanitarian crises, marked by mass displacement, ethnic-motivated attacks, famine-level food insecurity, and the collapse of basic services. International organizations have repeatedly warned of large-scale atrocities in El-Fasher, where months of siege, blocked aid routes, and indiscriminate shelling have left civilians trapped without food, medicine, or protection.

 Repeated RSF assaults, the destruction of medical facilities, and the displacement of over 10 million people nationwide have pushed Sudan to the brink of total humanitarian collapse, with the UN describing the crisis as “spiraling out of control” and aid agencies struggling to reach those most in need. (ILKHA)