The International Organization for Migration reports about 2,000 people fled intense fighting around Bara in North Kordofan over three days, part of renewed violence in Kordofan and Darfur. Recent RSF advances, including the seizure of el-Fasher, have led to hundreds of deaths and large-scale displacement. The World Health Organization estimates at least 40,000 killed and roughly 12 million displaced since 2023, while aid groups warn the true toll may be higher. Satellite imagery and local reports in el-Fasher indicate mass burials and possible burning of bodies, prompting calls for independent investigations and increased humanitarian access.
Intense Fighting in Central Sudan Forces About 2,000 to Flee in Three Days; Reports of Mass Burials in Darfur
The International Organization for Migration reports about 2,000 people fled intense fighting around Bara in North Kordofan over three days, part of renewed violence in Kordofan and Darfur. Recent RSF advances, including the seizure of el-Fasher, have led to hundreds of deaths and large-scale displacement. The World Health Organization estimates at least 40,000 killed and roughly 12 million displaced since 2023, while aid groups warn the true toll may be higher. Satellite imagery and local reports in el-Fasher indicate mass burials and possible burning of bodies, prompting calls for independent investigations and increased humanitarian access.
03:37 PM, 11/10/2025Conflict
Intense fighting displaces thousands in Kordofan as Darfur reports mass burials
Intense clashes in central Sudan forced roughly 2,000 people to flee over a three-day period, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Monday, as fighting around the town of Bara in North Kordofan intensified. The new displacement is the latest surge in a conflict that began in 2023 and has already claimed a heavy human toll.
The IOM said those displaced left several towns and villages around Bara between Friday and Sunday. Kordofan and the western Darfur region have emerged as recent epicenters of the war between Sudan’s regular army and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Recent assaults in Darfur, where the RSF seized the city of el-Fasher, have left hundreds dead and driven tens of thousands into overcrowded camps, according to aid groups and U.N. officials. Survivors and humanitarian organizations have reported alleged atrocities by RSF fighters.
The conflict began in 2023 after tensions erupted between two former allies who had been charged with guiding a democratic transition following Sudan’s 2019 uprising. The World Health Organization estimates the fighting has killed at least 40,000 people and displaced around 12 million, though aid groups warn the true death toll may be much higher.
In late October, RSF fighters attacked Bara in North Kordofan, killing at least 47 people, including women and children, the Sudan Doctors Network reported. Between Oct. 26 and Nov. 9, the IOM estimated about 38,990 residents fled several towns and villages in North Kordofan, including Bara, Sheikhan, Ar Rahad, Um Rawaba, Um Siala and Sakra. Many displaced headed north toward Khartoum, nearby Omdurman and the Sheikan area of North Kordofan.
On Monday the RSF claimed its fighters had arrived in Babanusa in West Kordofan province “in huge numbers” and were advancing toward the town’s army headquarters after moving in the previous day. Salah Semsaya, a volunteer with the Emergency Response Rooms initiative, told The Associated Press that volunteers from Babanusa who run charity kitchens reported a sharp drop in families coming for food, an apparent sign many residents had fled, although precise figures could not be independently confirmed.
Allegations of mass burials and burning of bodies in el-Fasher
In Darfur, the Sudan Doctors Network reported that the RSF collected hundreds of bodies from streets in el-Fasher, burying some in mass graves and burning others. The network said these acts appeared to be a "desperate attempt to conceal evidence of their crimes against civilians." Satellite imagery analyzed by Colorado-based firm Vantor showed a fire near the Saudi hospital in el-Fasher and areas that analysts said may indicate the presence of bodies. The Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab described the imagery as showing the "burning of objects that may be consistent with bodies."
Humanitarian access remains constrained across many conflict-affected areas, and aid groups warn that the scale of displacement and casualties could be greater than official tallies indicate. The continued clashes underscore an urgent need for protection, humanitarian assistance and independent investigations into alleged atrocities.