Fresh fighting displaces over 4,000 civilians in Sudan's Kordofan

Intensifying violence in central Sudan has driven more than 4,000 civilians from their homes in the Kordofan region since December 27, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Tuesday. The displacement is the latest wave in a protracted conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has devastated the country since April 2023.

Detailed Displacement Across Multiple Towns

The UN agency provided specific figures for the recent exodus. Between 1,500 and 2,500 people fled from Al-Kuweik in South Kordofan state, while another 870 were displaced from the towns of Kadugli and Dilling in the same state. In neighboring North Kordofan, deteriorating security pushed over 1,000 people from villages in the Jebrat Al-Sheikh locality to seek refuge in Omdurman, near the capital Khartoum. These figures, recorded between December 27 and 29, follow the displacement of 1,290 people from the same states announced just a day earlier.

A Broader Regional Conflict and Stalemate

The three Kordofan states—North, West, and South—have endured weeks of fierce combat, prompting tens of thousands to flee overall. The fighting is part of a nationwide war that has created a stark geographic divide. The RSF controls most of the five-state Darfur region in the west, while the army holds most territory in Sudan's remaining 13 states, including Khartoum. This entrenched stalemate has paralyzed the country and caused a catastrophic humanitarian emergency.

Context of a Deepening Humanitarian Catastrophe

The conflict, which erupted over a proposed integration of the rival forces, has killed thousands and displaced millions of Sudanese, creating one of the largest internal displacement crises globally. The new flight from Kordofan underscores how the war continues to spread and impact new communities, overwhelming local resources and international aid efforts. The crisis is monitored closely by regional actors and international partners, including Türkiye, which has provided humanitarian aid and supported diplomatic calls for a ceasefire.