Sudan Displacement Crisis Worsens as 200,000 Flee Kordofan Fighting

(MENAFN) More than three years into Sudan's civil war, the nation's displacement crisis continues to spiral.

Over 200,000 people have been driven from their homes across Sudan's central Kordofan region since late last year as fighting escalates, the UN reports. Simultaneously, ongoing attacks have struck vital water and electricity systems in El Obeid, the region's largest city.

The UN's migration agency, IOM, sounded the alarm last week as seasonal flooding in neighboring North Darfur state further worsened the displacement emergency.

"The warning signs are impossible to ignore," said IOM Director General Amy Pope, emphasizing that Sudan now confronts "one of the world's largest displacement crises."

She warned that without immediate intervention, conditions for families who have already fled violence will only deteriorate further.

Sudan has been gripped by conflict between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, a war that international estimates — including UN figures — say has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

The displacement toll is starkly visible in Kordofan's Sheikan district, home to El Obeid, according to IOM data. Citing 2022 census figures, Sudan Tribune reported that El Obeid's population once stood at roughly 750,000. That number has since ballooned to 3.4 million, with displaced people making up nearly half the total, the outlet reported, citing Sudan's Humanitarian Aid Commission.

Crisis spreads beyond Kordofan
The displacement emergency is not confined to one region. IOM reported that 78,000 people have been uprooted in Blue Nile state, while 18,000 more fled their homes in West Darfur during the first half of August alone.

In North Darfur, torrential rains in the Tawila area have destroyed nearly 1,350 homes and displaced more than 1,000 families, according to IOM. Further flooding in the North Darfur towns of Kabkabiya and Shangil Tobaya has pushed dozens of families into temporary shelters.

Complicating the humanitarian picture further is a wave of returnees. More than 4.5 million people have returned to Sudan over the past year and a half, including large numbers heading back to the capital, Khartoum, IOM said. Yet many are returning to communities where basic services — water, electricity, healthcare, and schools — have been destroyed or remain nonexistent.

In Blue Nile state, the Sudan Doctors Network reported that thousands have poured into Damazin, the state capital, fleeing the Geissan area amid intensifying military clashes.

"RSF attacks on Geissan have caused more than 5,000 displaced people to flee to Damazin, amid critical conditions requiring urgent intervention," the medical group said.

A 'lost generation' emerges
Save the Children reported in mid-August that nearly 39,000 children arrived in El Obeid during the first six months of this year alone, escaping active combat zones "in a hurry, with nothing," according to Francesco Lanino, the organization's deputy country director for Sudan, who spoke with media.

Lanino said countless children have witnessed violence, death, and the loss of loved ones. He noted that more than 17 million children across Sudan now require humanitarian assistance, with 8 million currently out of school — a reality he described as producing a "lost generation."

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