Thousands flee North Darfur, North Kordofan amid RSF attacks, says Sudanese commissioner
KHARTOUM, Sudan/ISTANBUL
Tens of thousands of displaced civilians have fled North Darfur and North Kordofan due to ongoing attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudanese Humanitarian Aid Commission said Sunday.
Speaking to Anadolu, Commissioner Salwa Adam Benia said the displaced civilians have fled to the cities of Dongola in Northern State and El-Obeid in North Kordofan.
Benia made the comments following a meeting with Turkish Ambassador Fatih Yildiz and Hamza Taşdelen, the deputy president of Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) in Port Sudan.
She expressed gratitude to Türkiye, its institutions, and civil society organizations for standing by the Sudanese people in the current crisis.
“On behalf of the Sudanese people, I thank Türkiye and its organizations for reaching us in this difficult time when we are in dire need of genuine support.
“We know that Türkiye has no ambitions in Sudan; it is providing a humanitarian service to its brothers,” she said.
Benia noted that there is now massive displacement from North Darfur and North Kordofan to several cities, particularly to Dongola, stressing that the numbers are rising daily.
The three Kordofan states, North, West, and South, have witnessed intense fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF in recent days.
The commissioner said El-Obeid city has received more than 175,000 displaced people from the three Kordofan states over the past month.
She noted that displaced families from Darfur and Kordofan have reached several other states, including Gadaref and Kassala in eastern Sudan, where over 3,000 displaced people have arrived in Kassala alone.
“The numbers are increasing day by day, and statistics are continuously changing accordingly.”
The Sudanese commissioner noted that a voluntary return is taking place in Khartoum, Wad Madani in central Sudan, and Sennar in the country’s southeast as the army regained control of these areas.
She stressed that these regions need support to rehabilitate health facilities, establish medical centers, repair water wells, and restore other essential services.
Benia also emphasized that the displaced civilians are in urgent need of assistance, including shelter, food, medical treatment, and environmental health services.
Since April 15, 2023, the Sudanese army and the RSF have been locked in a war that regional and international mediations have failed to end. The conflict has killed thousands of people and displaced millions of others.
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