The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has announced that conflict has displaced over 14 million people across Sudan, with 11 million internally displaced and 3.1 million crossing international borders. Director-General Amy Pope revealed the statistics during a press briefing in Geneva, emphasising that the figure includes individuals displaced prior to the recent conflict, which began in April between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
UN Human Rights spokesperson Seif Magango expressed concern over escalating violence in Al-Jazirah state, where attacks on villages have intensified since a key RSF commander, Abu Aqla Keikel, defected to the Sudanese Army. The RSF has reportedly targeted members of Keikel’s ethnic group in retaliation, with ground assaults leading to at least 124 fatalities in Al-Seriha village and numerous other casualties across the state.
In recent attacks, looting and property destruction have devastated communities, with reports of sexual violence and abductions, including an 11-year-old girl who died from injuries. Civilians have been detained, and communication devices confiscated, cutting off crucial information channels in roughly 30 villages.
Magango added that crops have been burned in Al-Jazirah, a vital agricultural hub, worsening food insecurity for over 25 million Sudanese already at risk of hunger. Thousands of families have fled to nearby states, further straining resources in the region, while hate speech and calls for civilian mobilisation fuel tensions.
UN officials have urged leaders on both sides to take immediate action to de-escalate the conflict and prevent further humanitarian catastrophe.