By Beyza Binnur Donmez
GENEVA (AA) - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday said more than 14 million people, including those internally displaced and those who crossed borders, are on the move in conflict-torn Sudan.
Eleven million are internally displaced within the country, while 3.1 million are those who have crossed borders, Director-General Amy Pope told a press briefing in Geneva. "So, that's actually over 14 million people who are on the move right now," he said.
Pope added that some 200,000 people have fled since September only.
She noted that the total number, 14 million, includes "people who were displaced before" the conflict that began last April between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
- UN rights chief 'extremely concerned' by escalating hostilities, violence in Al-Jazirah state
The UN human rights office spokesperson told the briefing that the chief of the office, Volker Turk, is "extremely concerned by the escalating hostilities and violence in Sudan's Al-Jazirah state, which are further exacerbating the risk of attacks against civilians, ethnically motivated violence and atrocity crimes."
Since the defection of Abu Aqla Keikel, a commander in the RSF, to the Sudanese army on Oct. 20, attacks by the RSF on villages in Al-Jazirah state have increased, apparently in retaliation for his defection, and targeting members of his ethnic group, Seif Magango said.
Magango said at least 124 people were reportedly killed on Friday in an attack by RSF ground forces on Al-Seriha village, with unconfirmed videos showing dozens of bodies lined up for burial.
This incident follows at least two other attacks by RSF ground forces on the nearby towns of Tamboul and Rufaa earlier in the week, he said.
Reports suggest hundreds of people were killed in Tamboul amid widespread looting, he said, adding that at least 25 cases of sexual violence were reported in several villages in Sharq Al-Jazira locality, including of three medical personnel and an 11-year-old girl, who died as a result. Women and girls are also said to have been abducted.
He also mentioned reports of that the RSF detained and ill-treated civilians from the targeted villages, and confiscated internet devices and telephones in some 30 villages, cutting off vital channels of communication, calling them "concerning."
Stressing that there are also reports that crops were burnt, he said: "At a time when over 25 million Sudanese are facing acute food insecurity because of the ongoing conflict, destruction of crops in a region considered the country’s breadbasket can only exacerbate an already catastrophic situation."
"As a result of the violence, thousands of families have reportedly been displaced from Al-Jazirah state into the neighbouring states of Gedaref and Kassala, adding to the already dire displacement crisis in the country," he said.
The office also voiced concern over the increased calls for mobilization of civilians in Al-Jazirah state, and reports of hate speech circulating on social media.
"The leaders of both sides must promptly take all measures to de-escalate the situation," the spokesperson urged.