Nearly 14:early 14,000 people have been displaced from Qaisan and Kurmuk localities in Sudan's southeastern Blue Nile state due to worsening security conditions and rising tensions in the area, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Thursday.
According to Anadolu Agency, the IOM reported that 12,470 people, representing 2,470 families, were displaced from Qaisan town and 12 villages in the locality between August 11-18 due to deteriorating security conditions. This figure marks an increase of 3,535 displaced individuals compared with the previous update, which is attributed mainly to expanded data collection efforts by the agency.
The displaced families have sought refuge in various locations within Qaisan, as well as in areas in Al-Roseires and Wad Al-Mahi localities in Blue Nile state. The IOM had previously announced that 8,935 people, representing 1,787 families, were displaced from Qaisan due to insecurity between August 12-17.
The situation in Qaisan escalated on August 11 when authorities reported that the Sudanese army repelled an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) on the town near the Ethiopian border. In a separate incident, the IOM estimated that 1,500 people, representing 300 families, were displaced from the villages of Kiring Kiring, Wadokan, Khor Hassan, and Deqlok in Kurmuk locality on August 17. These families have also relocated to other areas within the locality.
The conflict in the region has deep roots, with the Sudanese army controlling large parts of Blue Nile state, while the SPLM-N has been fighting the government since 2011, demanding autonomy in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. Since April 2023, the RSF has been engaged in a conflict with the Sudanese army over a dispute related to integrating the paramilitary force into the military. This has triggered famine and fueled one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, killing thousands and displacing around 13 million people while exacerbating humanitarian conditions and spreading hunger across large parts of Sudan.