More than 4,500 people have been displaced across Sudan’s North Darfur and Blue Nile states amid worsening insecurity, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
In Blue Nile, IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix said about 3,315 people, representing 663 families, were forced from their homes in Geisan locality on September 7.
The displaced residents fled villages including Abu Shneina, Rabaa and Wadi Arab and moved to Wad al-Mahi locality within Blue Nile state.
IOM said the latest movement followed an earlier wave of displacement on September 5.
The agency reported on Sunday that another 1,690 people had fled three villages in Blue Nile’s Kurmuk locality because of escalating violence.
Blue Nile has seen increased military activity in recent days as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), step up operations in parts of the state.
In North Darfur, IOM said around 1,275 people were displaced from the villages of Gorbora and Wadi Arkawi in Um Baru locality between September 3 and 6.
Most of those displaced moved to Karnoy locality, while others crossed the border into neighbouring Chad.
The agency described the situation in the area as “tense and highly volatile” and said it continues to monitor developments.
Villages in Um Baru have faced repeated violence since late June, including attacks on markets and the burning and looting of settlements, according to Sudanese rights groups.
Sudan has been at war since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced around 13 million, according to UN and international estimates.
