The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Thursday told Reuters approximately 700 casualties occurred in the wake of clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the city of El Geneina on November 4 and 5. The IOM further revealed that a hundred individuals were injured, and an additional 300 are unaccounted for as a result of the conflict.

As the displaced seek refuge in neighboring Chad, the power struggle that initiated the armed conflict in April has led to thousands of casualties nationwide and the relocation of millions. This crisis has been exacerbated by the failure of an attempt to integrate the RSF into the regular forces.

In a parallel development, the UN mission in Sudan initiated an investigation into “serious human rights violations” allegedly committed by the RSF and allied Arab militias. This investigation focuses on the Massalit community, an African ethnic group native to western Sudan and eastern Chad, in the town of Ardamata.

Originating from Janjaweed militias implicated in ethnically motivated genocide in Darfur (2003-2008), the RSF has strengthened its presence in western Sudan, particularly after recent gains against the army. Despite diplomatic efforts in Jeddah to secure a ceasefire, the conflict, ongoing since April 15, has claimed an estimated 9,000 lives, displaced over six million individuals internally and externally, and left around 25 million Sudanese in urgent need of humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations.

While the UNHCR warned of increasing violence and human rights violations against civilians on Friday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi asserted, “Twenty years ago, the world was shocked by the terrible atrocities and human rights violations in Darfur. We fear a similar dynamic might be developing. An immediate end to the fighting and unconditional respect for the civilian population by all parties are crucial to avoid another catastrophe.”