200,000 Sudanese displaced since the outbreak of fighting in Blue Nile
A Sudanese government official confirmed that more than 200,000 people have been displaced from the cities of Karmak and Qaysan and other areas in the Blue Nile state, southeastern Sudan, due to fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), amid warnings of worsening humanitarian and health conditions for the displaced amid heavy rains, food shortages, lack of shelter materials, and difficulties in delivering aid.
Last week, the “Tasree’” alliance forces, led by the RSF, announced they had taken control of the strategic cities of Karmak and Qaysan, located near the border with Ethiopia, a development that triggered a large wave of displacement toward safer areas, particularly the cities of Damazin, the state capital, and Ar-Rashid, the largest city in the state.
Hashim Orta, the commissioner for the voluntary return of internally displaced persons and refugees in the Blue Nile state, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the number of people displaced from Karmak, Qaysan, and other towns affected by the fighting has exceeded 200,000 since the outbreak of hostilities, emphasizing that they are living in “extremely difficult humanitarian conditions.”
The Blue Nile State Commission for the Voluntary Return of Displaced Persons and Refugees is a local government body responsible for monitoring the conditions of displaced persons and refugees and coordinating their return and reintegration. The roots of the Sudanese government agency specializing in voluntary return date back to 2003, when a unit for displacement and voluntary return was established under the Humanitarian Aid Commission.
Orta added that pregnant women and elderly men and women died while attempting to flee combat zones, enduring arduous displacement journeys lasting several days, during which many were forced to walk long distances through rain and rough terrain.
According to Orta, camps and shelters for displaced persons in the vicinity of Damazin, the state capital, have received tens of thousands of civilians in recent days, mostly women and children, while their need for food, drinking water, healthcare, and shelter materials continues to grow.
The total figure provided by the local official could not be independently verified. The Commission for the Voluntary Return of Displaced Persons and Refugees is not a United Nations body, but it cooperates with UN agencies and international organizations, including the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), on issues related to displacement, return, and humanitarian aid.
