2,500 displaced as fighting erupts in Sudan’s Blue Nile state
About 2,500 people have been displaced from Geisan in Sudan’s Blue Nile state after fighting erupted in the town Tuesday, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
IOM field teams working through the agency’s Displacement Tracking Matrix estimated that around 500 families fled Geisan as security conditions deteriorated, Anadolu Agency reported.
Most of those displaced moved to other locations within the Geisan area, while some crossed the border into neighboring Ethiopia, the agency said.
The IOM described the situation as “tense and volatile” and said its teams were continuing to monitor developments.
The fighting has also triggered conflicting claims over who controls Geisan.
Local authorities said the Sudanese army had repelled an attack on the town by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North.
The RSF, however, claimed it had seized control of Geisan and military positions in the town. The army did not immediately respond to the claim.
The latest violence follows an earlier confrontation in the area. On July 10, the army said it had repelled an attack on Dim Saad and Yara in the Geisan district.
The Sudanese army controls large parts of Blue Nile state, while the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North has fought the government since 2011 in pursuit of greater autonomy for South Kordofan and Blue Nile.
The latest clashes are part of Sudan’s wider conflict between the army and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023 over disagreements about the integration of the paramilitary force into the military.
The war has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced about 13 million, creating one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises and driving millions from their homes inside Sudan and across its borders.
The new displacement in Blue Nile adds to the mounting humanitarian pressure as fighting continues to threaten civilian communities in areas already affected by years of conflict.
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