200,000 more displaced in Sudan amid escalating conflict: UN

Escalating conflict in Sudan has displaced another 200,000 people from their homes, including nearly 11,000 who fled two villages in North Kordofan over three days, further straining an already dire humanitarian situation, the UN said Wednesday.

The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the recent escalation had forced another 200,000 people to flee their homes, adding to the country's existing displacement crisis.

“Sudan is facing mounting displacement and humanitarian pressures as escalating conflict and destructive seasonal flooding compound an already grave humanitarian situation,” the organization said.

The IOM said: “Humanitarian access is further disrupted by delays in global supply chains, particularly through the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz, adding pressure to an already fragile response.”

It also said intensified fighting and drone strikes on the main electricity transformer in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, “triggered prolonged power outages, disrupting water pumping, health facilities, and telecommunications.”

“Displacement has surged by 25% in Sheikan locality over the past eight months, with more than 200,000 people newly displaced across the wider Kordofan region since late 2025,” the statement added.

In North Darfur, heavy rains in the Tawila area “destroyed or damaged nearly 1,350 homes last week, displacing over 1,000 families,” according to the IOM.

IOM Director General Amy Pope said: “Sudan is one of the world’s largest displacement crises. The combined impact of conflict, infrastructure damage, and flooding is stretching thousands of families beyond their limits.”

North Kordofan

In a separate update Wednesday, the IOM said its field monitoring teams estimated that about 11,000 people had fled the villages of Umm Sumayma and Abu Haraz in Sheikan locality of North Kordofan between Aug. 16 and 18 because of deteriorating security.

The displaced families moved to other areas within Sheikan, where conditions remain tense and volatile, the organization said.

The latest displacement comes amid an escalation in fighting in North Kordofan. The Sudanese army said Tuesday that it had shot down two drones in the state.

On Sunday, the IOM reported that about 4,250 people had fled three villages in Sheikan because of deteriorating security and clashes during the preceding two days.

The three states of the Kordofan region, North, West and South Kordofan, have witnessed fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since October 2025.

The escalation is part of Sudan's wider war, which began in April 2023 between the army and the RSF and has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced about 13 million, according to UN and international estimates.