The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is deeply alarmed by the rapidly worsening humanitarian situation in Sudan's Kordofan region, where escalating violence has driven a sharp surge in displacement. The number of newly displaced people since the start of the escalation in October 2025 has increased by 65 per cent, rising from over 132,000 in February 2026 to more than 219,000 by late June, underscoring the accelerating impact of the conflict on civilians.
Since conflict erupted in April 2023, Kordofan has remained one of Sudan's principal displacement epicentres. According to the latest available data, nearly one million IDPs, representing 11 per cent of Sudan's total displaced population, were living across the region.
"Families have run out of safe options to protect themselves. Many have already been displaced before and are once again forced to leave behind their homes, livelihoods and support networks," said Mohammed Refaat, IOM Chief of Mission in Sudan. "As violence continues to spread, safe access for humanitarian partners is essential to reach people whose needs are growing by the day."
The surge has been driven by escalating insecurity. More than 100 displacement-triggering incidents have been recorded in less than nine months, averaging one major incident every two to three days. The scale and frequency of these incidents highlight a rapidly deteriorating protection environment in which families are repeatedly forced to flee in search of safety. El Obeid has become a key refuge for people escaping violence in surrounding areas, now it faces a looming threat of a full-scale invasion putting civilians further at risk.
El Obeid now hosts around 500,000 people, including more than 83,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs). Repeated arrivals are placing mounting pressure on already overstretched shelter, basic services and humanitarian assistance, further straining the city's capacity to support those seeking safety.
Humanitarian access remains severely constrained by active fighting, widespread insecurity and the growing threat of drone attacks across parts of Kordofan. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people, including communities in and around El Obeid, remain beyond the reach of life-saving assistance.
North Kordofan continues to serve as both a place of origin and a destination for displaced families. More than 288,000 displaced Sudanese originally come from the state, while it currently hosts over 234,000 IDPs across 667 displacement locations in eight localities.
Since violence intensified in October 2025, people fleeing Kordofan have sought refuge in more than 1,000 locations across 89 localities in 14 states, illustrating how the crisis has spread far beyond the region itself. North Kordofan remains among the principal destinations, currently hosting 33,465 people newly displaced by the recent escalation.
Together with humanitarian partners, IOM has pre-positioned essential household items, hygiene kits and 600 emergency tents to enable a rapid response as soon as access allows. However, escalating insecurity and severe funding shortfalls continue to limit the scale of humanitarian operations.
Across Sudan, more than 30 million people are expected to require humanitarian assistance in 2026. Yet humanitarian operations remain critically underfunded, with nearly USD 90 million still needed to sustain life-saving assistance, and early recovery efforts as needs continue to grow.
IOM remains deeply concerned by the escalating violence in Kordofan and its devastating impact on civilians. The Organization calls for the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers with safe, sustained, and unimpeded humanitarian access so that life-saving assistance can reach communities in need.
