By Clémentine André and Tomás de Almeida
Conflict triggers exceptional internal displacements and reignites intercommunal tensions
Since conflict erupted in Sudan on 15 April 2023, 2,231,523 internal displacements have been recorded in the country (as of 28 June 2023), nearly the same number of internal displacements due to conflict and violence in the country than in the previous 10 years combined (2,246,000). This is the highest internal displacement figure recorded in Sudan due to conflict and violence since IDMC started its monitoring of the country in 2008.
As of March 2023, a month before the onset of the conflict, over 3.8 million people were internally displaced across Sudan. This figure will most likely reach much higher levels at the end of this year due to the ongoing widespread conflict. However, access constraints are not allowing current data collection efforts to fully unpack how many people have been newly displaced versus how many people have been displaced a second, third, or even fourth time.
Shifting displacement dynamics: from intercommunal violence in 2022 to nationwide conflict and violence in 2023.
In 2022, internal displacements were essentially due to intercommunal violence. They mainly occurred in Blue Nile state, linked to disputes over land between Funj and Hausa tribes, and in West Darfur state, linked to disputes over land and resources between Arab and non-Arab ethnic groups. In contrast, the conflict since April 2023 is national in scope. The fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in multiple locations across Sudan has resulted in millions of internal and cross-border displacements. Fighting initially took place in cities across Northern and Khartoum states, later spreading across the Darfur and Kordofan states.
Khartoum state is now at the epicentre of the latest wave of violence.
Khartoum state has been experiencing the highest levels of internal displacement, with 1,558,798 internal displacements reported since April, primarily originating in the city of Khartoum. Conversely, there were no reported displacements from Khartoum state in 2022. In Blue Nile, unlike last year, there were no internal displacements recorded originating from the state in 2023 as the Funj and the Hausa tribes signed in January 2023 an agreement in which the parties committed to refrain from violence and resolve intercommunal disputes peacefully.
The conflict reignites ethnic disputes in West Darfur resulting in repeated displacements.
Apart from Khartoum, which has seen the highest number of internal displacements, most reported displacements have occurred in West Darfur, South Darfur, Central Darfur, and North Darfur. Since April, approximately 664,033 internal displacements have been reported in these states. Darfur has experienced conflict and violence since 2003. The conflict has reignited long-standing communal tensions, especially in West Darfur, where fighting has erupted between Arab and non-Arab communities. West Darfur has reported approximately 255,855 internal displacements since April (over 11 per cent of the total for the country). The state’s capital, El Geneina, has seen the most severe level of conflict and violence outside of Khartoum, resulting in repeated displacement of thousands of individuals. The humanitarian situation in the town has worsened with attacks on civilians, water and electrical facilities, as well as hospitals.
