Over 6,000 flee West Darfur town after RSF threats: UN agency

The UN's International Organization for Migration reported Thursday that over 6,000 civilians fled the West Darfur town of Kulbus and three nearby villages on Monday following threats from the Rapid Support Forces, with most crossing into Chad. The agency said its field teams estimated that 6,005 people were displaced from Kulbus and the villages of Wadi Bardi, Arwa, and Adarb. "The situation in the area remains highly tense and volatile," the IOM said, adding that it continues to monitor developments closely.

Army captures strategic town

The displacement came amid heavy fighting between the Sudanese army and allied forces on one side and the RSF on the other, before government forces announced they had taken control of Kulbus. In recent days, videos circulated on social media showing RSF members threatening Kulbus residents and inciting violence against them over their welcoming the Sudanese army.

Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi said Monday that the Sudanese army and allied forces had captured Kulbus after clashes with the RSF. "The Sudanese Armed Forces, the joint forces of the armed movements, and the popular resistance, with public support, dealt the RSF a crushing defeat in Kulbus," he said on social media platform Facebook.

Protracted conflict

Kulbus is located in Sudan's far west, near the border with Chad, about 160 kilometers from El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state. The RSF controls Sudan's five Darfur states, except for parts of North Darfur that remain under army control, while the army controls most of the country's other 13 states, including the capital, Khartoum.

Sudan's humanitarian crisis has worsened since fighting erupted between the army and the RSF in 2023 over disagreements on integrating the armed forces. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced or forced about 13 million others to flee their homes.