More than 107,000 Sudanese civilians have been displaced from El-Fasher and surrounding villages in North Darfur amid worsening insecurity, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday, December 21.
According to the UN agency, an estimated 107,294 people, representing about 24,221 families, fled the area between Oct. 26 and Dec. 8, after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took control of the city and security conditions sharply deteriorated.
About 72% of those displaced remained within North Darfur, mainly in the northern and western parts of the State, while around 19% moved to other states, including Central Darfur, Northern State and White Nile State.
IOM field teams reported that roughly 75% of those displaced since Oct. 26 had already experienced previous displacement, having earlier fled camps such as Zamzam and Abu Shouk or neighbourhoods within El-Fasher during earlier bouts of violence. The organisation warned that continued insecurity and movement restrictions could further reshape displacement routes as the situation evolves.
The agency described the figures as preliminary, noting that the situation remains highly volatile and subject to rapid change. Meanwhile, intense fighting between the army and the RSF has persisted for weeks in North, West and South Kordofan, forcing tens of thousands more to flee.
Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls four of the five Darfur states, with only parts of North Darfur still under army control. The army holds most areas across the remaining 13 states, including Khartoum. The conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has killed thousands and displaced millions across the country.
