CAIRO: Up to 300,000 people were forced to flee their homes in Sudan’s Jazeera province, previously considered a safe haven for families displaced by the country’s conflict, as result of fighting between the military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a notorious paramilitary group, said the UN on Thursday.
The conflict erupted in Wad Medani, the provincial capital, when RSF attacked the city earlier this month. The RSF claimed control of Wad Medani, while the military stated that its troops withdrew, and an investigation was initiated. The war in Sudan began in mid-April amid tensions between military chief General Abdel-Fattah Burhan and RSF commander General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who led a coup in October 2021.
The International Organization for Migration estimated that between 250,000 and 300,000 people fled to safer areas in Al-Qadarif, Sinnar, and the White Nile provinces. Jazeera, once home to 6 million Sudanese, had hosted around 500,000 displaced people, with Medani sheltering over 86,000.
The World Food Program temporarily halted food assistance in parts of Jazeera, calling it a “major setback” to humanitarian efforts. The conflict has displaced over 7 million people, with more than 1.5 million seeking refuge in neighboring countries, according to UN figures.
The conflict in Sudan, as of October, has resulted in the death of up to 9,000 people, with ongoing concerns about the actual toll.
