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IOM Warns Kordofan Displacement Surged 65%

Moatinoon
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has warned of a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudans Kordofan region, saying escalating violence has driven a 65 % increase in new displacement since fighting intensified in October 2025, while raising growing concerns over the safety of civilians, particularly in El Obeid.

In a statement released Friday, the agency said the number of newly displaced people had risen from more than 132,000 in February 2026 to over 219,000 by the end of June 2026, highlighting the accelerating impact of the conflict on civilians.

Since the war erupted in April 2023, Kordofan has remained one of Sudans main displacement hotspots, with nearly one million internally displaced persons (IDPs)—about 11 percent of the countrys total displaced population—currently living across the region.

"Families have run out of safe options to protect themselves," said Mohammed Refaat, IOM Chief of Mission in Sudan, noting that many households have now been displaced multiple times and forced once again to abandon their homes, livelihoods, and support networks.

He stressed that expanding violence makes safe humanitarian access essential to reach communities whose needs continue to grow.

According to IOM, more than 100 displacement-triggering incidents have been recorded in less than nine months—an average of one major incident every two to three days—reflecting a rapidly deteriorating protection environment that is repeatedly forcing families to flee.

The agency said El Obeid has become a major refuge for people escaping violence in surrounding areas but now faces the threat of a full-scale assault that could place civilians at even greater risk.

The city currently hosts around 500,000 people, including more than 83,000 internally displaced persons, placing enormous pressure on shelters, basic services, and humanitarian assistance, and stretching the citys capacity to accommodate new arrivals.

IOM added that humanitarian access remains severely restricted due to ongoing fighting, widespread insecurity, and the increasing threat of drone attacks across parts of Kordofan, leaving hundreds of thousands of civilians beyond the reach of life-saving assistance.

North Kordofan continues to serve both as a place of origin and a destination for displaced families. More than 288,000 displaced Sudanese originally come from the state, while it currently hosts over 234,000 IDPs across 667 displacement sites in eight localities.

The organization also noted that people fleeing Kordofan since the escalation began in October 2025 have dispersed to more than 1,000 locations across 89 localities in 14 Sudanese states, illustrating how the crisis has spread well beyond the region.

Together with humanitarian partners, IOM has pre-positioned essential relief supplies, household items, hygiene kits, and 600 emergency tents to enable a rapid response once humanitarian access improves. However, it warned that insecurity and severe funding shortages continue to limit humanitarian operations.

Across Sudan, more than 30 million people are expected to require humanitarian assistance in 2026, while humanitarian operations remain critically underfunded, with an additional US90 million needed to sustain life-saving aid and early recovery efforts.

IOM renewed its call for the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers and urged all parties to ensure safe, sustained, and unhindered humanitarian access to communities in need.