Insecurity displaces 1,150 people in Sudan’s North Darfur in 3 days: UN migration agency

Some 1,150 people fled four villages in Sudan's western North Darfur state over three days due to worsening insecurity, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Sunday.

In a statement, the UN agency said its field teams estimated that an additional 1,150 people were displaced from the villages of Muzbat, Oreri, Tari and Umm Haraz in Um Baru locality between Oct. 29 and 31.

Some affected families moved to other locations within the locality, while others crossed the border into Chad, it said.

The security situation remains highly tense and volatile, the agency added.

On Monday, the IOM reported that 895 people had been displaced from three villages in Um Baru on Oct. 24.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army have been fighting since April 2023 following a dispute over integrating the paramilitary group into the military. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced 13 million.

The RSF controls Sudan's five Darfur states, apart from parts of North and West Darfur that remain under army control. The army holds most of the country's remaining states, including the capital, Khartoum.

Darfur accounts for roughly one-fifth of Sudan's territory, which spans more than 1.8 million square kilometers. Most of the country's 53 million people live in army-controlled areas.