Fighting in North Darfur sees number of displaced people triple

Fighting in North Darfur’s embattled capital of el-Fasher has tripled the number of displaced people this year alone in Tawila, a town about 60 kilometers away, said a UN migration agency official.

Ugochi Daniels, deputy director general for operations at the International Organization for Migration, IOM, told the Associated Press Thursday that the conflict had also reduced el-Fasher’s own population by 62 percent this year. She warned that the massive displacement presents major challenges for the country, echoing other aid workers who have repeatedly labeled Sudan the world's largest displacement crisis.

The recent displacement spike was fueled by intensified fighting in el-Fasher, which has seen a series of attacks in the conflict between the army and rival paramilitaries as they seek to control the city.

The war between the Rapid Support Forces, RSF, and the military began in 2023 when tensions erupted between the two former allies that were meant to oversee a democratic transition after a 2019 uprising.

The fighting has killed at least 40,000 people, according to the World Health Organization, and displaced as many as 12 million others. Over 24 million people are facing acute food insecurity, according to the World Food Program.

“North Darfur remains the epicenter of the crisis here in Sudan and we need peace to be able to access the most difficult places where the needs are the greatest,” said Daniels.

El-Fasher is the military’s last stronghold in the sprawling Darfur region, which has been the epicenter of the violence along with Kordofan.

Daniels explained that it’s hard to provide services for many people who have moved in such a short period of time, especially amid the collapse of health care and other essential services.

The conflict and resultant mass displacement have restricted access to essential services like clean water, proper nutrition, and health care.

Disease

Sudan’s Health Minister Haitham Ibrahim told the Associated Press on Wednesday that health care services have been restored in at least 60 percent of hospitals in areas retaken by the army, including Khartoum.

However, diseases such as cholera, malaria and dengue fever remain rampant amid collapsed health care systems and destroyed infrastructure, particularly water facilities.

Speaking to the AP during the World Health Organization’s annual Regional Committee in Cairo, Ibrahim said that dengue has spread across at least 14 Sudanese provinces. Separately, WHO said late September that 113,629 cholera cases and 3,029 deaths have been recorded across Sudan since the outbreak was declared in July 2024.

The minister said the amount of medical aid entering Sudan doesn’t meet the needs of the population because the trucks often get attacked or robbed before they reach communities.