A nation forced to move
Territorial control helps explain where people are trapped. Displacement shows the war’s human scale: millions have fled, returned, and been forced to flee again.
UNHCR and IOM snapshots, April–May 2026. Figures describe different measures and should not be added together.
Follow the movementDisplacement reaches every state
Each circle shows an estimated state total. IOM recorded 8,805,506 internally displaced people across 185 localities in all 18 states in May 2026.
Sources: IOM DTM, May 2026 ↗ · UNHCR portal, June 2026 ↗
In Darfur, flight keeps moving west
South and North Darfur together accounted for 3.45 million recorded IDPs in the June snapshot. People fleeing El Fasher and nearby villages have moved elsewhere in North Darfur, including Tawila, while arrivals from Darfur into Chad continue.
The dashed corridor illustrates a regional movement direction—not a verified route or travel advice.
Sources: UNHCR state totals, June 2026 ↗ · UNHCR briefing, April 2026 ↗
New displacement continues in Kordofan
Returns elsewhere do not mean displacement has ended. Across the three Kordofan states, 998,426 IDPs were recorded in the June snapshot, while IOM continued to report new displacement in the region.
The focused context area is saturated; other control shading recedes so the displacement totals remain visible.
Sources: UNHCR state totals, June 2026 ↗ · IOM DTM, April 2026 ↗
A return is not the end of displacement
By May 2026, return movements were concentrated toward Khartoum and Al Jazirah. But a return count records where people moved—not what they found. Homes and essential services may still be damaged.
Returning can mean arriving at a damaged home without the conditions needed to remain there.
Sources: IOM DTM, May 2026 ↗ · UNHCR briefing, April 2026 ↗
Movement follows a country held together by the Nile
Four major dams are marked as geographic reference points. Their roles in water storage, hydropower, and irrigation help explain the infrastructure on which communities depend.
Dams are shown as civilian infrastructure and geographic reference points—not as operational assessments.
Reference: Sudan WASH Strategic Plan, via FAOLEX ↗
Read the war through people, not only territory
- Whether new fighting in Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile forces another wave of repeated displacement.
- Whether people returning to Khartoum and Al Jazirah can access water, shelter, health care, and safe housing.
- Whether borders and humanitarian corridors remain open to civilians seeking protection.
This is an explanatory snapshot, not a live operational map. Displacement estimates change; control shading is approximate; and movement lines do not represent verified routes or safe passage.