Nearly 1,000 people flee Darfur village in one day

Almost 1,000 Sudanese civilians have fled their homes in North Darfur in a single day due to intensifying insecurity, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday.

According to the United Nations agency, around 970 people were displaced from the village of Mizbat in Umm Baru locality on 1 November as violence escalated in the area. The displaced have sought refuge in nearby locations, with the situation described as tense and volatile.

The IOM warned that more people could be forced to flee if the security situation continues to deteriorate. Umm Baru lies about 300 kilometres northwest of Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur.

Last week, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of Al-Fashir, with local and international groups accusing the RSF of committing massacres against civilians. The takeover has fuelled fears that the fighting could cement Sudan’s de facto partition.

RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, later admitted that “violations” had been carried out by his forces in Al-Fashir, saying internal investigations were underway.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF began in April 2023 and has so far killed about 20,000 people and displaced more than 15 million across Sudan and neighbouring countries, according to UN and local reports.

Copied