Around 3,000 civilians displaced from El-Fasher amid fighting between Sudan’s army, paramilitary RSF

By Adel Abdelrheem and Rania Abu Shamala

KHARTOUM, Sudan/ISTANBUL (AA) - Between 2,500 and 3,000 civilians were displaced on Sunday due to clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

The UN agency said these preliminary figures are expected to rise and are subject to change, given the continued insecurity and the accelerating pace of displacement.

According to IOM field teams, some displaced persons have moved to locations within El-Fasher, while others may head toward Tawila and Mellit in North Darfur, depending on the security conditions and movement restrictions, it added in a statement.

Prior to Sunday’s reported clashes, an estimated 2,000 people had already fled El-Fasher between Oct. 23 and 25, the agency said, warning that the situation remains extremely tense and volatile.

El-Fasher has witnessed fierce fighting for weeks between the army and the RSF, following a multi-front assault by the paramilitary group, which has surrounded the city from five directions in an attempt to seize control of it due to its strategic importance.

The RSF has been besieging El-Fasher since May 10, 2024, as the Sudanese army seeks to break the siege of the city, which serves as the humanitarian operations center for the five Darfur states.

The army and the RSF have been fighting since April 2023, which 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.