According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 1,600 Sudanese civilians fled the town of Kertala in South Kordofan in a single day due to increased insecurity along with increased abuses by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The UN agency said on Sunday that its Displacement Tracking Matrix field teams estimated that 1,625 people left Kertla on November 28 due to deteriorating security conditions linked to RSF violations.
This latest wave of displacement followed RSF attacks supported by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) on several villages in South Kordofan, including the abduction of youth for forced recruitment.
According to human rights groups, there have been weeks of fierce fighting between the army and the RSF in three Kordofan states – North, West and South – causing thousands to flee.
Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five states in the Darfur region in the west, except some northern parts of North Darfur which are under military control.
The army, in turn, captures most of the remaining 13 states in the south, north, east and centre, including the capital Khartoum.
According to the World Health Organization, at least 40,000 people have been killed and 12 million displaced in the conflict that began in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the RSF.
Neighboring Chad has become a refuge for thousands of people fleeing the conflict.
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