RSF attacks displace over 300 civilians in Sudan’s North Kordofan: UN migration agency

By Adel Abdelrheem and Rania Abu Shamala

KHARTOUM, Sudan/ISTANBUL (AA) – At least 340 people were displaced from Um Bashar village in North Kordofan state in central Sudan due to escalating insecurity and attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Sunday.

The UN agency said the displaced civilians moved to open areas in scattered locations within Al-Rahad locality, south of North Kordofan.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that Um Bashar village was attacked Sunday by RSF militants, with army forces launching a counterattack to repel the assault.

The RSF attack was the second in two days, as the rebel group seeks to tighten control over areas surrounding the city.

On Feb. 17, the Sudanese army announced that it had retaken control of Al-Rahad after fierce battles with the RSF.

Al-Rahad lies about 30 kilometers (18 miles) west of El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, and holds strategic importance as a main hub on Sudan’s railway line connecting the western region with cities in the east and center.

The city is also a market for agricultural products and livestock, which the RSF had seized during the early months of the war.

The Sudanese army and the RSF have been fighting a war since April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.