More than 107,000 Sudanese civilians have been displaced from the city of Al Fasher and surrounding villages in North Darfur state due to worsening insecurity, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday.

In a statement, the UN agency said an estimated 107,294 people – about 24,221 families – fled al Fasher and nearby areas between October 26 and December 8 when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took control of the city.

About 72% of those displaced remained within North Darfur, mainly in northern and western parts of the state, while around 19% moved to other states, including Central Darfur, the Northern State and White Nile State, the IOM added.

According to the agency’s field teams, about 75% of those displaced since October 26 had already been internally displaced, including people who initially fled major displacement camps such as Zamzam and Abu Shouk or neighborhoods inside al Fasher during earlier escalations.

The organization warned that movement restrictions and persistent insecurity could further limit mobility and alter displacement routes depending on developments on the ground.

Fluid situation

The figures are preliminary and subject to change as insecurity continues and displacement dynamics evolve rapidly, the IOM said, adding that the situation remains highly volatile and tense.

The three Kordofan states—North, West, and South—have seen weeks of fierce fighting between the army and the RSF, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee.

Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five states of the Darfur region in the west. The army, in turn, holds most areas of the remaining 13 states in the south, north, east, and center, including the capital Khartoum.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has since killed thousands of people and displaced millions of others.