Khartoum: More than 50,000 individuals have been newly displaced in Sudan's Kordofan regions since late October due to intensifying conflict, as warned by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The agency highlighted that civilians are fleeing not by choice, but out of fear for their safety.

According to Anadolu Agency, Mohamed Refaat, the chief of mission in Sudan for the IOM, reported from Port Sudan to journalists in Geneva that the displacement in Kordofan is driven by escalating violence, prompting residents to flee towns such as Babanusa, Kadugli, and El-Obeid. Reports indicate that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied fighters from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North have shelled residential buildings in Dilling, South Kordofan, over the past 48 hours.

The RSF has been engaged in conflict with the Sudanese army since April 2023, following the breakdown of a transition to civilian rule. On October 26, RSF forces captured El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, after a prolonged siege of 500 days, leading to mass displacement and leaving civilians with limited access to food.

Refaat noted that many of those fleeing are women and children, particularly those arriving in White Nile and Gedaref states. He also expressed concern over the rapidly deteriorating situation in Kadugli, where drone attacks last week resulted in the deaths of six Bangladeshi peacekeepers serving with the UN force in Abyei.

Refaat warned that if the conflict continues, an estimated 90,000 to 100,000 people could be displaced from Kadugli alone. He also cautioned that El-Obeid could soon face a similar assault, potentially impacting more than half a million individuals.

The IOM official further warned of severe funding cuts that have forced the agency to scale back its operations, revealing a loss of $83 million this year. He urged states to urgently increase support for Sudan's civilians, emphasizing the difficult decisions the agency faces in choosing which lives they can save.