Sudan clashes displace over 5,000 to Chad

More than 5,000 people have fled 10 villages in Sudan’s West Darfur state amid renewed fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said.

The UN agency said its Displacement Tracking Matrix teams recorded 5,135 people who had fled villages in the Sirba locality as of August 8 following fighting in the Bir Saliba area. Most of the displaced households crossed the border into neighbouring Chad, according to the IOM.

West Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi said on Saturday that the Sudanese army had repelled a large-scale RSF attack on Bir Saliba. The area, north of West Darfur’s capital, El Geneina, is strategically located along routes leading to the city and has repeatedly seen clashes involving the RSF, the army and allied forces.

The conflict in Sudan began in April 2023 following disagreements over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular military. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions across Sudan and neighbouring countries.

By the end of June, the IOM had recorded about 8.69 million internally displaced people in Sudan, while more than 4.64 million people had returned to areas within the country or from abroad. The latest displacement figures cover movements recorded through August 8.

SOURCE: AA