Intensified fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has triggered fresh waves of displacement and civilian casualties across Sudan’s volatile Kordofan region, according to humanitarian sources and local reports.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) confirmed Sunday that more than 2,700 families were forced to flee their homes in Al-Khuwai, West Kordofan, following RSF advances into the area late last week. This comes after weeks of renewed fighting that has seen control of several key towns shift between the warring factions.
According to the IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix, the clashes between May 29 and May 30 alone displaced an estimated 2,715 households. Many sought refuge in neighboring localities within West Kordofan and as far as North Kordofan’s Sheikan and Gharb Bara areas. The humanitarian agency described the situation as “tense and highly fluid.”
Al-Khuwai’s strategic position—linking routes to both North Darfur and East Darfur—has made it a major target for both sides. The RSF previously seized the town on May 2, displacing over 11,000 individuals before the SAF briefly regained control. Its latest recapture by RSF units marks a significant shift in the military balance in the region.
Simultaneously, the RSF has expanded its grip across several towns in South Kordofan, including Al-Dabibat, Al-Hammadi, and Kazgail. Eyewitnesses and rights groups report widespread abuses in areas under RSF control.
At least 13 civilians, including a medical worker, were reportedly killed in RSF assaults across West and South Kordofan on Saturday. In Al-Hammadi, medical assistant Abdelbaqi Mohamed Ahmed was shot in the head, with his two sons severely injured. In Al-Khuwai, RSF forces allegedly executed eight civilians, conducted mass arrests of young men, and looted homes, markets, and energy infrastructure, according to the Dar Hamar Emergency Room.
Villages surrounding Al-Dabibat—such as Al-Hammadi, Umm Shalakhti, and Kazgail—have witnessed mass exoduses, with civilians trekking toward El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, in search of safety.
In response to the RSF’s advances, the Sudanese army has dispatched reinforcements to El-Obeid’s southern and western flanks. Meanwhile, a large RSF convoy was seen moving from Abu Zabad, West Kordofan, with additional units arriving from East Darfur—indicating preparations for further escalation.
With battles resuming across both West and South Kordofan, humanitarian groups warn of an impending crisis in the already war-stricken region, as civilians continue to pay the highest price in Sudan’s protracted conflict.