Over 430,000 have fled homes since Sudan fighting began — UN

The fighting in Sudan has caused more than 330,000 people to flee their homes within the country, with over 100,000 others escaping over the borders, the United Nations says.

UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency, is estimating that more than 800,000 people could potentially flee to neighboring countries as the conflict continues in Sudan between the army and a paramilitary group.

The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said an estimated 334,000 people had been internally displaced by the fighting, which broke out on April 15.

“Over 100,000 refugees are estimated to be among those who have now fled Sudan to neighboring countries, including Sudanese refugees, South Sudanese returning home prematurely, and others who were themselves refugees in Sudan,” UNHCR spokeswoman Olga Sarrado tells reporters in Geneva.

The IOM says in a situation report that “the total estimate of displaced individuals across Sudan has reached 334,053.”

“About 72 percent, roughly 240,000 of these new internal displacements were reported in West and South Darfur alone,” spokesman Paul Dillon tells reporters.