Wad Madani is located about 140 kilometers southeast of the war-torn capital, Khartoum, and is the capital of Al Jazeera state, known as Sudan's breadbasket.
About half a million people have fled to the state since fighting broke out in April between the Sudanese army and a rival military group known as the Rapid Support Forces.
An unfathomable human tragedy
IOM reported that clashes that broke out on the outskirts of Wad Madani on December 15 have again forced thousands of people from their homes.
“This is a humanitarian tragedy of unfathomable proportions and exacerbates the country's already severe humanitarian crisis,” said the agency's executive director, Amy Pope.
People affected by the fighting have fled to other neighbouring countries, with many crossing the border into South Sudan.
Some of the fugitives fled on foot and were reportedly hiding in squares, makeshift shelters, schools and host communities.
Signs of brutal crime
Meanwhile, UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Nderitu, expressed serious concern over the escalation of violence around Wad Madani, El Fasher in North Darfur, and Nyala in South Darfur.
Mr. Nderitu expressed concern that the escalating clashes include very serious allegations of ethnically motivated violence and deliberate attacks against health workers and facilities, which may constitute international crimes.
She reiterated her concern that the ongoing escalation of violence could engulf Sudan completely.
“After eight months of fighting and horrific levels of violence, with all the signs of brutal crimes, the wheels of violence continue to spin.
“The price continues to be paid by the most vulnerable, who beg for safety and justice but get neither,” she said.
A child recovering from malaria at Gracia Health Centre in Beni town, North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
WHO pre-approves second malaria vaccine
A second malaria vaccine has been recommended for use by the World Health Organization (WHO), which called the development a “significant milestone in malaria prevention.”
The WHO has added the R21/MatrixM vaccine, developed by Oxford University and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, to its list of prequalified vaccines.
Prequalification will allow countries to increase access to vaccines to prevent malaria in children, with support from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
The first malaria vaccine to be WHO prequalified was the RTS,S vaccine, which achieved this status in July 2022.
Both vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective in trials for preventing malaria in children and are expected to have a major impact on public health when used in combination with other recommended preventive measures.
Malaria is spread by mosquitoes and killed more than 608,000 people in 85 countries in 2022.
The disease hits children in Africa particularly hard, with nearly half a million adolescents dying from the disease each year there.
Russia urged to end enforced disappearances of jailed opposition figures
The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Russia said on Thursday that a “pattern of enforced disappearances” of jailed dissidents in Russia must end.
Independent Expert Mariana Katsarova issued a statement expressing concern about the situation of opposition politician Alexei Goryunov, who was sentenced to seven years in prison in July 2022 for criticizing Russia's military action in Ukraine.
Katsarova said she had received information that the defendant's whereabouts and health condition were unknown since December 8, when the defendant's lawyers last saw him in Vladimir Oblast Prison No. 2.
Since then, experts say, authorities have denied him access to a lawyer, family or any contact with the outside world.
“Following Mr. Gorinov's last visit to the prison, his lawyers expressed concern that Mr. Gorinov had a life-threatening health condition,” she said.
“I call on the Russian authorities to immediately disclose Mr. Gorinov's location and health condition, and to provide immediate access to appropriate medical care for Mr. Gorinov, his family and his lawyers. The practice of enforced disappearances of jailed politicians in Russia must end,” she said.
Katsarova issued the alert on Monday expressing concern over the enforced disappearance of jailed opposition leader and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny, whose whereabouts and fate remain unknown more than 10 days later.
Special Rapporteurs are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to monitor specific country situations or thematic issues.
They are not UN employees and do not receive payment for their work.