Thousands of civilians fled their homes as Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces push through Darfur and Kordofan. Airstrikes and attacks on markets, schools, and camps have left many at risk.

The RSF captured Darfur’s city of al-Fashir in late October 2025, marking one of its biggest gains in the 2½-year war with Sudan’s army. Since then, they have advanced east into the Kordofan region and taken control of Sudan’s largest oil field, Heglig.

Most of the roughly 40,000 people displaced so far have stayed within Sudan, but the UN warns the violence could force even more to leave.

Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said if a city like El Obeid, near Khartoum, “were to be… engulfed by the war, I am pretty sure we would see more exodus,” noting that big urban centers produce most of the displaced.

Conditions at camps remain dire, with many facing violence and loss.

Grandi described one smaller camp hosting people from Al-Fashir, Kordofan, and other areas, saying, “their stories are unfortunately all the same: rape, murder, forced recruitment of children, separation of families, and sheer robbery.”

The Sudanese air force has also struck residential neighborhoods, markets, schools, and camps for displaced people.

Research by Sudan Witness shows at least 1,700 civilians have been killed in airstrikes since April 2023, with repeated attacks on neighborhoods and essential facilities.

Humanitarian groups are struggling to respond as violence spreads, leaving millions at risk and raising fears of a worsening crisis across Sudan and neighboring countries.

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Sudan Darfur Kordofan RSF HumanitarianCrisis United Nations