Nearly 6,000 displaced in one day by clashes in Sudan’s West Darfur: UN migration agency

Nearly 6,000 people were displaced from seven villages in Sudan’s West Darfur state in a single day amid clashes between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Monday, Anadolu reports.

The UN agency said in a statement that 5,975 people fled the villages of Lakisa, Rofeid, Shibeit Ardu, Um Ghadara, Hajar Sangeid, Salamtar and Abu Suruj in Sirba locality on Sunday because of “deteriorating security conditions.”

Most households crossed the border into Chad, while others sought refuge in locations within El Geneina locality, the capital of West Darfur, it added.

The situation remains tense, the agency said, noting that it continues to monitor developments closely.

On Sunday, the IOM reported that 5,135 people had been displaced from 10 villages in Sirba a day earlier because of escalating security tensions.

On Saturday, Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi said the Sudanese army had repelled a large-scale attack by the RSF on Bir Saliba.

Bir Saliba lies north of El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, and is considered strategically important because of its location along routes leading to the city. The area has repeatedly witnessed fighting between the RSF and the army and its allied forces.

Fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF has continued since April 15, 2023, following disputes over integrating the paramilitary force into the regular military. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.

​​​​​​​As of the end of June 2026, the IOM had recorded about 8.69 million internally displaced people in Sudan, along with more than 4.64 million people, who had returned to areas inside the country or from abroad.