AlHijjah 4, 1433, Oct 20, 2012, SPA -- More than 900,000 people have been displaced or severely affected by fighting in two Sudanese border states, the United Nations said Friday, sharply increasing its estimate and urging Sudan and rebels to permit delivery of urgently needed aid. Fighting between the Sudanese army and Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North rebels erupted in the oil-producing state of South Kordofan in mid-2011, shortly before South Sudan became an independent country. The violence spread a few months later to nearby Blue Nile state, which also borders the new country. In total, 908,000 people have been displaced or severely affected in both border states, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said, revising upward its previous tally of 655,000.
