Intense Fighting in Central Sudan Displaces 2,000 People in Days, UN Agency Reports

CAIRO — Renewed fighting in central Sudan has forced around 2,000 people to flee their homes in just three days, the United Nations migration agency (IOM) said Monday, as the country’s devastating conflict enters its third year with no sign of resolution.

The IOM reported that civilians fled from several towns and villages near Bara in North Kordofan province between Friday and Sunday, amid escalating clashes between the Sudanese army and the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

North Kordofan and the neighboring Darfur region have become the latest epicenters of Sudan’s war, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions since it erupted in April 2023.

Escalating Violence and Mass Displacement

The IOM said that nearly 39,000 people have fled from multiple towns in North Kordofan since October 26, following a series of RSF attacks. Most displaced residents are heading toward Khartoum, Omdurman, and Sheikan, seeking safety despite ongoing instability in those areas.

The violence in Kordofan follows the RSF’s capture of el-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur not under its control. The takeover left hundreds dead and forced tens of thousands to flee to overcrowded camps amid reports of mass atrocities, according to aid groups and U.N. officials.

The World Health Organization estimates that at least 40,000 people have been killed and 12 million displaced since the conflict began, though humanitarian groups warn the real toll could be far higher.

Mass Killings and Cover-Ups in Darfur

In Darfur, reports of war crimes continue to mount. The Sudan Doctors Network said Sunday that RSF fighters collected hundreds of bodies from the streets of el-Fasher, burying some in mass graves and burning others in what the group described as an effort to conceal evidence of atrocities.

Satellite images analyzed by Vantor, a Colorado-based firm, appear to confirm these reports. Images taken last week showed fires burning near the Saudi Hospital in el-Fasher, close to what analysts identified as a cluster of possible human remains.

Researchers at the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab said the images likely depict “the burning of objects that may be consistent with bodies.”

Attacks Spread to West Kordofan

Meanwhile, the RSF claimed Monday that its fighters had entered Babanusa, a strategic town in West Kordofan province, and were advancing toward the army’s regional headquarters.

Local volunteer Salah Semsaya, part of the Emergency Response Rooms network, told the Associated Press that aid kitchens in Babanusa had seen a sharp decline in families seeking food, suggesting many residents have fled. However, official displacement figures have not been confirmed.

A Nation in Collapse

Sudan’s war began after tensions erupted between Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, head of the army, and Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), commander of the RSF — former allies who jointly seized power in a 2021 coup.

Their power struggle has since plunged Sudan into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, leaving large parts of the country without functioning government institutions, food supplies, or medical services.

Despite repeated calls from the United Nations, African Union, and regional mediators for a cease-fire, both sides continue to fight for territorial control, especially over resource-rich and strategic regions such as Darfur and Kordofan.