Nearly 400 flee Sudanese cities in two days amid conflict

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that approximately 400 civilians were forced to flee two besieged cities in Sudan’s South Kordofan state this week. The latest displacement underscores the relentless insecurity plaguing the region more than two years into the country’s civil war.

According to the UN agency, its field teams estimated that 125 people left Kadugli and 270 fled Dilling between January 11 and 12 due to deteriorating security. The displaced individuals sought relative safety in areas within White Nile state, a pattern of internal movement common throughout the prolonged conflict.

Kadugli and Dilling have been encircled and attacked since the early months of the war. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North, have subjected the cities to repeated artillery shelling and drone attacks. This persistent violence has made civilian life untenable, forcing people to abandon their homes despite the risks of flight.

The IOM noted last week that the number of displaced people across Sudan’s three Kordofan states had surged to nearly 65,000 in a recent two-month period. The war, which began in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the RSF, has killed thousands and displaced millions nationwide. The RSF controls most of the Darfur region in the west, while the army holds much of the north, east, south, and center, including the capital, Khartoum. For nations like Türkiye, engaged in regional diplomacy and humanitarian aid, the continuous displacement represents a major stability and humanitarian challenge in Africa.