Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera
· collected 2026-08-20 · by Al Jazeera Staff
The United Nations' International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that over 200,000 people have been newly displaced in Sudan's Kordofan region due to intensified fighting since late last year. The conflict, which erupted in 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, has killed at least 59,000 people and forced some 14 million from their homes. In Kordofan's Sheikan district, displacement has surged by 25% over the past eight months, with drone attacks on critical infrastructure exacerbating the situation. According to the IOM, some 8.6 million people have been internally displaced in Sudan since the war began.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-20,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
More than 200,000 people have been displaced in Sudan's Kordofan region due to intense fighting since last year, according to the United Nations' International Organization for Migration (IOM). The conflict has also targeted critical infrastructure such as water and electricity in el-Obeid, the biggest city in the region. Seasonal flooding in nearby North Darfur state has further compounded the displacement crisis, with 59,000 people killed and 14 million forced from their homes since 2023. The fighting is between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have attacked villages across the region, causing thousands of families to flee to cities like el-Obeid. The IOM has warned that the crisis threatens an entire generation's future, with families losing access to basic necessities like water, electricity, and healthcare.
Written for “Sudan Displacement Crisis Escalates” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
More than 200,000 people have been newly displaced across Sudan’s Kordofan region due to intensified fighting since late last year, the United Nations has said, as continued drone attacks target critical water and electricity infrastructure in the region’s biggest city, el-Obeid.
asserted
attacks → displace → city
The warning from the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) came on Wednesday as seasonal flooding in nearby North Darfur state also compounded the displacement crisis.
asserted
flooding → come → crisis
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Burhan → threaten → Hemedti
“The warning signs are impossible to ignore,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope.
asserted
Pope → ignore → ?
“Across Sudan, families are fleeing violence, losing access to water, electricity and healthcare, and now facing the added burden of destructive floods.”
asserted
families → flee → floods
The war in Sudan – which erupted in 2023 amid a power struggle between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – has killed at least 59,000 people and forced some 14 million people from their homes.
asserted
which → erupt → homes
According to the IOM, displacement in Kordofan’s Sheikan district, which includes the city of el-Obeid, has surged 25 percent over the past eight months.
uncertain
which → accord → months
In el-Obeid, drone attacks by the RSF on the city’s main power transformer have knocked out electricity needed to pump water, run hospitals and keep phone lines working, the organisation said.
asserted
organisation → knock → lines
In Blue Nile state, some 78,000 people have also fled their homes, the IOM said, while in West Darfur, about 18,000 others were displaced in the first half of August.
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others → flee → August
Meanwhile in North Darfur, heavy rains in the Tawila area have damaged nearly 1,350 homes, displacing more than 1,000 families, the UN organisation added.
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organisation → damage → families
“Sudan is one of the world’s largest displacement crises,” Pope said.
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Pope → say → crises
“The combined impact of conflict, infrastructure damage and flooding is stretching thousands of families beyond their limits.”
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impact → combine → limits
According to the UN, some 8.6 million people have been internally displaced in Sudan since the war began.
uncertain
war → accord → Sudan
More than 4.2 million people also have fled to neighbouring countries.
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people → flee → countries
Some 33.7 million people require humanitarian assistance, according to the UN.
uncertain
people → require → UN
Reporting from one of the main roads leading to el-Obeid, Al Jazeera’s Almigdad Alruhaid described a route where drones belonging to the RSF have targeted army vehicles, oil tankers and cargo trucks.
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drones → report → vehicles
The Sudanese army-held city has endured one of the longest sieges of the war, but the RSF “maintains position south and west of the city and still continues attacking nearby villages”, Alruhaid said, adding that this was further worsening the humanitarian situation in the region.
asserted
this → hold → region
El-Obeid had a population of 750,000 before the war, but authorities now estimate it has reached 3.4 million, according to the Sudan Tribune.
uncertain
it → have → Tribune
Save the Children, a humanitarian group, said nearly 39,000 children have arrived in the city in the first six months of this year.
asserted
children → say → year
