Displaced and Refugees Exceed 15 Million, Over Half Are Children

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The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that the number of displaced individuals within Sudan and refugees in six neighboring countries has exceeded 15 million, with over half of them being children.

In its latest report released today, the IOM revealed that 15,040,973 Sudanese have been displaced or crossed borders to escape the war. The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) stands at 11,568,970, spread across 10,152 locations in 184 areas across all 18 states of Sudan. Meanwhile, 3,472,003 individuals have crossed into neighboring countries since April 15, 2023.

The IOM explained that the displaced population consists of two groups. The first group, totaling 8,837,055 individuals, comprises those displaced directly after the war began. The second group includes 1,089,541 individuals who were displaced prior to April 2023 but were forced to flee again due to the current conflict. This second group accounts for 29% of the displaced population.

The organization emphasized that more than half (53%) of the displaced are children under 18 years old.

The highest displacement rates were recorded from Khartoum State (31%), South Darfur (18%), and North Darfur (15%). The states hosting the largest number of displaced individuals are South Darfur (16%), North Darfur (15%), and River Nile (9%).

The IOM clarified that it defines an internally displaced person (IDP) as anyone forced to flee their usual place of residence due to an incident dating back to 2003 or later.