Ankara: Nearly 1,700 more people have been displaced from villages in southeastern Sudan's Blue Nile state amid worsening insecurity, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Saturday.

According to Anadolu Agency, the UN agency reported that its field teams estimated that 1,690 individuals were displaced from the villages of Abigo, Balang, and Gambarda in Al-Kurmuk locality on September 5. The affected residents have fled to Baw locality, also within Blue Nile state, due to the ongoing tension and volatility in the region.

The situation in Blue Nile state has been escalating, notably after the IOM's announcement on Thursday that approximately 3,000 people, comprising 500 families, had been displaced from three villages in the Al-Kurmuk locality due to increasing insecurity on August 31. Recent military activities have intensified following attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its ally, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), on several areas.

Authorities in Al-Kurmuk confirmed on Friday that the Sudanese army successfully repelled an attack by the RSF and SPLM-N on the Al-Baraka area. This is part of a larger conflict occurring in Sudan, which includes clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF across the three Kordofan regions-North, West, and South Kordofan-since October 25.

Sudan has been embroiled in a war between the army and the RSF since April 2023. The conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced about 13 million people, according to UN and international estimates.