IOM: Over 343,000 displaced from Sudan’s Gezira amid rising violence
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported Thursday that more than 343,000 people were displaced from Sudan’s Gezira State between October 20 and November 13 due to escalating clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The displaced, totaling 343,473 individuals (68,801 families), fled to states like Kassala and Gedaref in the east and River Nile in the north, driven by worsening insecurity and violence. Over 135,000 people were displaced in the last 10 days of October alone, with an additional 208,000 fleeing in the first two weeks of November.
In the eastern Gezira city of Hilaliya, the death toll has reached 503 amid a 21-day RSF-imposed siege, according to Nidaa Al-Wasat, a local activist group. The group called for urgent intervention to lift the siege and protect civilians.
The RSF has faced widespread accusations of committing mass killings and violations in Gezira, including in Hilaliya, although it has yet to respond to these allegations.
Since the conflict began in April 2023, Sudan has been plunged into chaos, with over 20,000 fatalities and more than 13 million people displaced.
Fighting persists in 13 of Sudan’s 18 states, as the UN warns of an unprecedented humanitarian disaster with millions at risk of starvation and death due to collapsing basic services.
