New wave of displacement hits Tawila amid hunger, crop failure and war

November 6, 2026 (TAWILA, Sudan) – Crop failure, severe food shortages and the impacts of ongoing war are driving thousands of people daily from the Mershing locality in South Darfur to the Tawila area in North Darfur, a camp coordination group said on Friday.

About 800,000 displaced people have sought refuge in Tawila, located roughly 60 km (37 miles) west of North Darfur’s capital El Fasher, according to United Nations data.

The displaced population is spread across eight camps in the area, which is controlled by the Sudan Liberation Movement faction led by Abdel Wahid Nur.

The General Coordination of Displaced Persons and Refugees Camps in Sudan said residents are fleeing Mershing in search of water, food and health services.

Farmers in the region failed to harvest any sorghum or millet this season, severely depleting food stocks and severing the primary food supply for the majority of the population, the group said in a statement.

“Families have become unable to provide for their basic needs, coinciding with rising prices and the deterioration of security conditions,” the coordination group said.

The organization urged aid agencies to initiate humanitarian responses directly within Mershing rather than waiting for displaced families to reach other regions.

Severe rainfall shortages across Sudan this year have devastated the agricultural sector and livestock, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis fueled by the broader conflict.

Displacement from Darfur and Kordofan to Tawila has increased steadily due to the drought and continued fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which began in April 2023.