The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Thursday that 1,430 people were displaced from five villages in North Darfur state in western Sudan in a single day due to worsening insecurity.
In a statement, the IOM said its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) teams estimated that around 1,430 people fled the villages of Shatmarta, Singari, Goz Laban, Dal Burida and Khair Wajid in the Ambro area of North Darfur on Tuesday after security conditions deteriorated.
The organisation said some of the displaced moved to other locations within Ambro, while others crossed the border into neighbouring Chad.
It added that the situation in the area “remains tense and volatile” and that it is closely monitoring developments.
The latest displacement comes three days after the IOM reported that 2,260 people had fled two villages in Ambro because of insecurity.
According to the independent Emergency Lawyers group, villages in Ambro have been under attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for about a month. The attacks have reportedly included raids on markets, the burning of villages and widespread looting.
The RSF controls all five Darfur states except parts of North Darfur, which remain under the control of the Sudanese army. The army holds most of the country’s other states, including the capital, Khartoum.
Darfur covers around one-fifth of Sudan’s territory of more than 1.8 million square kilometres, while most of the country’s population of around 50 million lives in areas controlled by the army.
