Tue 23 December 2025:

More than 107,000 people have fled El Fasher and surrounding villages in North Darfur, western Sudan, following the takeover of the city by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 26 October, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported on Sunday.

The IOM said in a statement that an estimated 107,294 people, about 24,221 families, were displaced from El Fasher and nearby villages between 26 October and 8 December due to rising insecurity.

Most of the displaced, around 72 per cent, have stayed within North Darfur, mainly in the northern and western parts of the state.

The organisation added that about 19 per cent of those displaced have moved to other states in Sudan, including Central Darfur, Northern State, and White Nile.

According to the agency’s field teams, three-quarters of the people displaced since 26 October were already internally displaced, including those who had previously left major camps such as Zamzam and Abu Shouk or other areas within El Fasher during earlier escalations, and were forced to move again after 26 October.

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US pushes for ceasefire

Speaking at a year-end news conference on Friday, Rubio said the fighting in Sudan needed to stop, adding that the new year was a “great opportunity for both sides to agree to that” and allow desperately needed aid to reach millions trapped by the conflict.

His remarks came as violence in Kordofan has killed at least 100 civilians since early December and displaced more than 50,000 people.

“What’s happening there is horrifying, it’s atrocious,” Rubio said, adding that “one day the story of what’s actually happened there is going to be known, and everyone involved is going to look bad.”

Washington has intensified diplomatic efforts following a meeting between President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in late November, with US special envoy Massad Boulos recently returning from talks with Egyptian, Saudi Arabian and United Arab Emirates officials.

Rubio said he has held discussions with leaders across the region in collaboration with the United Kingdom.

The top US diplomat pointed to external weapons supplies as a critical factor sustaining the war between the government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is now deep into its third brutal year.

“All these weapons are acquired from abroad. They have to come from somewhere else and they have to come through somewhere else,” Rubio said, adding that outside actors possess the leverage needed to bring both parties to the negotiating table.

According to conflict monitors, the UAE provides direct material support to the RSF through a network spanning neighbouring countries, though Abu Dhabi has repeatedly denied this.

SAF, meanwhile, has close ties with Turkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, while the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are also involved in mediation efforts.

Rubio acknowledged the difficulty of achieving a ceasefire, saying parties frequently agree to commitments but fail to implement them, particularly when one side believes battlefield momentum is in its favour.

“What we’ve emphasised is none of these groups can operate without the support they’re receiving externally,” Rubio said, describing the US role as convening parties and pushing outside actors to use their influence.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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