NAIROBI, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The number of internally displaced persons (IDP) in the Horn of Africa rose to 20.75 million at the end of 2024, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Tuesday in a report released in Nairobi, capital of Kenya.

The United Nations migration agency said that the figure increased from 20.42 million in October 2024, with the rise attributed to a surge in IDPs in Sudan. "The increase in 340,744 IDPs in Sudan was due to the ongoing conflict affecting several states in the country and ongoing escalation in Al Jazirah State in November, as well as heavy rains and reported fires," IOM said.

The agency noted that between Oct. 20 and Nov. 13 last year, an estimated 68,801 households were displaced from locations across Al Jazirah State amid increased insecurity and escalations in clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.

The UN migration agency added that individuals were reportedly displaced to 38 localities across seven different states. "Among the individuals displaced, 15,129 were IDPs who were already displaced prior to the escalation and therefore experienced secondary displacement," IOM said.

The other countries with a high number of IDP populations are Somalia with 3.5 million, Ethiopia with 3.3 million, and South Sudan with two million. The main causes of displacements, according to the IOM, are conflict, floods, drought and food insecurity, especially in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

The UN agency further noted that the Greater Horn of Africa region had some 5.5 million refugees and asylum seekers, a rise from 5.1 million in October 2024.

Some 67.4 million people were food insecure in the region at the end of 2024, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). Among them, 38 million are in IGAD member states, including Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda, said the agencies. Enditem

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