IOM reports 2,500 flee North Darfur villages amid insecurity

Fresh exodus in North Darfur

The International Organization for Migration reported Sunday that insecurity has driven 2,510 people from five villages in Sudan's North Darfur state, with the majority seeking refuge across the border in Chad. The displacement concentrated in Um Baru locality, where IOM officials noted that security conditions remain unstable and unpredictable.

Successive waves of displacement

The latest movement follows earlier surges in the same locality, where IOM previously documented 1,150 people fleeing four villages between October 29 and 31, following the displacement of another 895 people from three villages earlier in October. Separately, the agency recorded 115 people leaving Al-Farshaya village in South Kordofan's Dilling locality on Saturday, with most affected families relocating to other areas within the same locality.

Funding crisis threatens relief efforts

IOM and the UN refugee agency warned in a joint statement that severe funding shortages could leave millions of displaced Sudanese without emergency shelter and essential household supplies. The agencies emphasized that humanitarian operations face critical gaps as displacement figures continue to climb across the war-torn country.

Conflict expands across Sudan

Approximately 8.6 million people remain displaced within Sudan's borders, while more than 4.6 million have fled to neighboring countries since the war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted in April 2023. Clashes have intensified across North, West and South Kordofan over the past year, killing tens of thousands and triggering one of the world's largest displacement crises.