ADDS DETAILS
By Adel Abdelrheem and Rania Abu Shamala
KHARTOUM, Sudan/ISTANBUL (AA) - More than 62,000 people have been displaced from El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state in western Sudan, within four days of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) taking control of the city, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Friday.
In a statement, the UN agency said its field teams estimated that 62,263 people fled from locations in El-Fasher and surrounding villages between Oct. 26 and 29.
It added that on Oct. 29 alone an estimated 26,080 people were displaced from El-Fasher, including 25,305 who fled outside the city due to insecurity.
The Sudan Doctors Network also said that 4,500 people have fled the city of Bara in North Kordofan state due to “violations” committed by the RSF.
Last week, the RSF said it had re-captured Bara, about 35 kilometers northeast of El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, more than a month after the army had regained control of the city.
In a statement, the network said the state is witnessing “rapid exodus from the Bara locality toward El Obeid city due to the deteriorating security situation and the continued violations committed by the Rapid Support Forces against civilians..”
It added that the number of displaced persons has exceeded 4,500, including 1,900 who have arrived in El-Obeid, while the rest remain on the way amid harsh conditions and severe shortages of food, water, and shelter.
The group said its field teams report worsening humanitarian conditions among the displaced families.
Six people were killed in a UAV strike that hit a camp for internally displaced people in Kadugli, said the Justice and Equality Movement in South Kordofan state in western Sudan, accusing the RSF for the attack.
The group, which is part of the Sudanese government under the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement and whose leader Jibril Ibrahim serves as Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, said it “strongly condemns the crime committed by the Rapid Support Forces in targeting the IDP shelter in Kadugli.”
It followed witness accounts to Anadolu that a drone hit a shelter center Friday for dozens of displaced persons in the Kalba neighborhood of Kadugli, resulting in deaths and injuries.
Social-media activists circulated photos showing widespread damage to the shelter following the strike. Local media, including the Sudan Tribune, confirmed the attack and noted that three children and two women were killed. Four others were wounded and taken to a government hospital.
Sudan has been ravaged by a civil war between the army and the RSF since April 2023, causing thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions of people.
El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, fell under the control of RSF on Sunday after months of siege. Rights groups have accused the RSF of committing mass killings, detaining people and attacking hospitals.