TUE 3 MAR - Thousands of people in Sudan's Blue Nile have been forced to flee their homes, farms have suffered crop loss, and the healthcare system has collapsed following the spread of fighting to the state.
Blue Nile sits in the far southeast of Sudan, jutting between South Sudan and Ethiopia, and was previously peripheral to the war, with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) controlling the north and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - along with Abdelaziz al-Hilu’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) - holding much of the south.
Ground clashes erupted in January following an RSF offensive on a SAF garrison in the southwestern Bau district, and the weeks since have seen people killed in drone strikes and shelling by both sides, particularly in towns along the Sudan-Ethiopia border.
The RSF is believed to be trying to open new supply lines from Ethiopia following disruption to others from Libya, and to be doing so with support from the UAE.
Some 980 households have been displaced from the Kurmuk district, which sits on the border, towards state capital Damazin, according to statements by the district governor, while around 1,900 people have been displaced within Kurmuk itself.
Speaking to Avaaz from Damazin, aid worker Yasir* said many people had struggled to reach safety, with some families becoming separated on the way, but that even those making it to the displacement camps around the city had found difficult conditions.
“People urgently need basic necessities. There is a severe shortage of clean drinking water. Medicines are urgently needed. Pregnant women are in extremely difficult situations, as are elderly people and those with chronic illnesses,” he said.
“Before even addressing food needs, people need tents and safe shelter to rest.”
He added that many families had also had to abandon their farmland when they were displaced, suffering significant financial loss.
“They lost their crops and livestock. Even the annual harvest rituals, traditions, and cultural practices that usually take place every year did not happen this time,” he said.
“Markets [in Damazin] are open, but prices have increased and most people now depend on community kitchens and support from local initiatives.”
The price of wheat flour, a staple used to make bread, rose 43% in Blue Nile between December and January, according to data from the World Food Programme. The rise brought the cost per kg to 5,000 Sudanese pounds ($8.30), more than in any other state besides East Darfur.
Yasir added that many of those who had been providing aid were leaving Damazin because even being a humanitarian volunteer had become “extremely dangerous”.
“Those who remain are working under local initiatives, which must be registered with local authorities in order to provide assistance to civilians,” he said.
“The healthcare system in Blue Nile was already weak before the war and has now completely collapsed.”
RSF aims to draw SAF from Kordofan
The RSF offensive in Blue Nile is thought to have been intended to draw SAF resources away from the Kordofan region, where SAF was recently able to break long-running sieges on the cities of Dilling and Kadugli.
It is also believed to have helped the RSF open supply lines from Ethiopia following disruption to others from the Triangle, an area in the northwest of Sudan where the country’s borders meet those of Egypt and Libya.
SAF has publicly accused Ethiopia of allowing the RSF to launch attacks from its territory, while government figures have reportedly made similar allegations against South Sudan. Both countries have denied the claims.
Another source with knowledge of the situation on the ground, Amina, said that, in areas like Kurmuk, much of the fallout from ongoing drone strikes was going unreported.
“The security situation is terrifying. Media restrictions prevent reporting on the crisis, and anyone sharing information risks arrest,” he said.
“Access to conflict zones is limited or dangerous, infrastructure is damaged, and resources fall far short of what is needed.”
On Thursday, drone strikes believed to have been carried out by the RSF and SPLM-N hit a school in Qeissan, a town on the Sudan-Ethiopia border, and another in the nearby village of Khor al-Dahab, Sudan Tribune reports, citing a local official. No casualties were reported from either incident.
Further strikes reportedly caused significant damage to a power station in Kurmuk. It followed an RSF strike the previous week in which one person was killed and four others, including children, were injured, according to the Sudan Doctors Network.
On 13 February, the towns of Malkon and Yabus - also on the Ethiopian border but held by the RSF and SPLM-N - reportedly came under heavy shelling by SAF.
A drone strike on a hospital in Yabus on 4 February, also carried out by SAF, killed four people, including two children, Dabanga reports, citing a spokesperson for the SPLM-N.
The spokesperson also claimed that the strike levelled the hospital, rendering it inoperable, and displaced 187 families.
The weekly dispatch features the latest developments, first-hand testimony, footage, photos, stats and analysis on Sudan. We can connect you with voices from the ground, experts, and survivors of the war. Get in touch on +44 7514 796 678 or sudan@avaaz.org
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