Khartoum: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Sunday that more than 4,000 people have been displaced from three villages in Sudan’s North Kordofan state due to escalating security concerns over the past two days. The affected villages include Um Arda, Tamid, and Al-Khor Al-Abyad in Shikan locality.

According to Anadolu Agency, a statement from IOM indicated that its Displacement Tracking Matrix teams estimated that 4,250 individuals fled their homes on August 14 and 15 due to the deteriorating security situation. These families have sought refuge in other areas within Shikan locality and the city of Omdurman, located west of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum.

The UN agency highlighted that the situation remains tense and volatile, emphasizing its ongoing efforts to monitor developments closely. The displacement follows an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Um Arda area, southwest of El-Obeid, which an independent rights group, Emergency Lawyers, reported resulted in 14 civilian deaths and numerous injuries.

Sudanese military sources revealed to Anadolu that the army had successfully repelled an RSF attack in the areas of Jebel Hashaba and Um Arda, as well as thwarting another assault on the Jabra Al-Sheikh area of North Kordofan. The army claimed the attackers incurred casualties and equipment losses.

The Kordofan region, comprising North, West, and South Kordofan, has experienced ongoing clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF since October 2025. The broader conflict, which ignited in April 2023 over plans to integrate the RSF into the regular military, has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands and the displacement of approximately 13 million people, according to UN estimates.