More than 136,000 people have fled Sudan’s southeastern Sennar state since the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began attacking towns, the United Nations reported on Thursday. This marks the latest wave of displacement in Sudan’s nearly 15-month-long war.
Nearly 10 million people have been driven from their homes since the conflict between the RSF and the regular army began. The war has sparked accusations of “ethnic cleansing” and warnings of famine, particularly in RSF-controlled areas.
On June 24, the RSF launched a campaign to seize the city of Sennar, a key trading hub. The assault quickly extended to the smaller towns of Sinjah and al-Dinder, causing civilians to flee to neighboring al-Gedaref and Blue Nile states. Images on social media showed people of all ages wading across the Blue Nile.
Activists in both states report a severe lack of shelter and food aid for the incoming displaced people. In Gedaref, heavy rains compounded the situation for those stranded in the state capital’s main market, without tents or blankets, after the government emptied schools previously used as displacement centers.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration estimated that 136,130 people had been displaced in Sennar since June 24. The state already hosted over 285,000 people displaced from Khartoum and al-Gezira states, meaning many of the recent displaced have experienced multiple displacements.
In Gedaref state, villages faced an exodus due to the RSF campaign. Meanwhile, in the western part of the country, local activists reported that at least 12 people were killed by artillery fire on a livestock market in al-Fashir, a city embroiled in a months-long battle between the RSF, the army, and allied armed groups.
