United Nations, May 10 (IANS): In the past week, the number of people forced from their homes by fighting in Sudan more than doubled to more than 700,000, a UN spokesman has said.

Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the International Organization for Migration reported the 700,000 homeless figure, compared to the 340,000 people listed a week ago, on May 2. They were displaced by the most recent fighting that began on April 15. Before the fighting erupted, 3.7 million people had been internally displaced in Sudan, mainly in the western Darfur region.

Haq said the World Food Programme (WFP) reported it needs nearly 13,000 tons of food to reach some 384,000 people across Gedaref, Gezira, Kassala and White Nile states, Xinhua news agency reported.

The WFP said it currently has about 8,000 tons of food in Port Sudan to distribute to those in need. Additionally, two ships are to dock within days at the same port with WFP food and supplies to treat moderate acute malnutrition.

The agency said that since restarting food distributions last week, it reached more than 35,500 people across Gedaref and Kassala, and distribution is underway in White Nile.