Over 1,500 displaced in Sudan amid escalating insecurity: UN agency
More than 1,500 people have been displaced from North and South Kordofan in Sudan amid escalating violence involving the Rapid Support Forces, according to the International Organization for Migration. Humanitarian groups warn that civilians in El Fasher face severe deprivation under RSF control.
- Over 1,500 people displaced from Kordofan states as insecurity worsens, according to IOM.
- Rapid Support Forces (RSF) accused of killing civilians and detaining thousands in El Fasher.
- Humanitarian conditions in conflict zones remain dire, with urgent appeals for safe evacuation corridors.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on 2 November 2025 that escalating violence in Sudan’s Kordofan states has displaced more than 1,500 people in the past week.
According to IOM figures, 1,205 people fled from Bara and Umm Ruwaba in North Kordofan, while 360 others were displaced from Al-Abbasiya and Delami in South Kordofan.
The agency said those affected have moved to various areas within North Kordofan and to towns in White Nile state.
The IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix indicated that 580 people left Bara and 625 departed from Umm Ruwaba due to insecurity.
The latest movements add to a surge of displacement in late October, when 36,625 people were forced from their homes between 26 and 31 October.
Sudanese authorities also reported new attacks in North Kordofan, including a drone strike allegedly carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Zareba al-Sheikh al-Burai.
The Sudan Doctors Network stated that RSF fighters killed 38 civilians in the town of Umm Dam Haj Ahmed.
Authorities said the same town was attacked again on 27 October, triggering the displacement of about 1,850 residents.
The RSF, which recently captured Bara, has denied deliberately targeting civilians.
In a statement on 2 November, Dr Ahmed Al-Nour Ragm Allah of the Sudan Doctors Network described worsening conditions in the city of El Fasher, which fell under RSF control in late October.
He said the paramilitary group continues to detain thousands of civilians, preventing them from leaving the city and confiscating all vehicles used for evacuation.
According to the network, some civilians have been shot while attempting to flee, while others suffer from severe malnutrition and a lack of medical care.
The group called for immediate international pressure to secure the release of detained civilians and the opening of humanitarian corridors for evacuation and burial of bodies left on the city’s outskirts.
The RSF’s leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemetti,” acknowledged that “violations” had occurred in Al Fasher, claiming that internal investigation committees had been formed. However, humanitarian organisations say widespread abuses continue.
The capture of Al Fasher has raised fears that the conflict could deepen Sudan’s de facto partition.
Local and international monitors have warned that atrocities in Darfur and Kordofan could lead to irreversible fragmentation.
Since the war between the Sudanese army and the RSF began on 15 April 2023, more than 20,000 people have been killed and over 15 million displaced, according to United Nations and local estimates.
International mediation efforts have so far failed to halt the fighting, which has destroyed infrastructure, crippled the economy, and fuelled one of the world’s largest displacement crises.