Sudan war: Intense fighting in Blue Nile drives fresh displacement

Fresh waves of displaced civilians are putting further pressure on shelters across Blue Nile state, with nearly 27,400 displaced families recorded in three localities, according to the state’s Humanitarian Aid Commission.

Displacement continues in Blue Nile state amid fighting between the Sudanese army, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), the armed wing of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). People are fleeing both within and beyond the state as the humanitarian situation deteriorates sharply.

The Blue Nile state Humanitarian Aid Commission says displacement has involved several groups, including people who fled Khartoum and El Gezira state during the 2023 fighting, residents displaced from western parts of Blue Nile, and people fleeing El Kurmuk, Geissan, and Wad El Mahi. Returnees from South Sudan have also added to the pressure on displacement camps.

Thousands of families in displacement camps

Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Qisma Abdel Karim Deldoum says Damazin locality has 12 camps. The largest include El Karama (1), hosting 1,840 families; El Karama (3), with 4,030 families; El Karama (5), with 4,814 families; El Karama (6), with about 4,509 families; and El Karama (7), with approximately 4,348 families.

The El Salam centre hosts 700 families, while the Agricultural Research Centre accommodates 3,913 families.

In El Roseires locality, camps include Ajeeb El Mangelik, with 624 families; Nusaiba, with 2,636; El Juwairiya, with 737; and El Azaza, with 1,300. Smaller camps are located in Mek El Youssef, El Shuhada, and El Laouta Korum.

The commission says Wad El Mahi locality has received 4,080 families at Geissan camp (8). Meanwhile, Bao locality is hosting 1,754 families stranded after fleeing El Kurmuk. They are being accommodated in Ouseik, Meqanaza, Salbel, and Fadamia, reflecting the widening geographical spread of displacement.

Deldoum puts the total number of displaced families across the three localities at approximately 27,400, based on figures released by the commission and registration carried out in coordination with humanitarian partners.

Nearly 100,000 displaced between January and August

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported in mid-September that nearly 100,000 people had been displaced in Blue Nile state between 11 January and 23 August 2026. Children accounted for 47% of those displaced.

In its statement, the organisation estimated that 99,277 people, representing 19,497 families, had fled locations across the state during that period.

The number of internally displaced people had risen by 66% compared with the previous update, when 59,742 displaced people were recorded on 21 May 2026. The IOM said 47% of those displaced were children and young people under the age of 18.

According to the organisation, those displaced came from several parts of the state, including Geissan locality, which recorded 39,570 displaced people; El Kurmuk, with 32,515; and Bao, with 27,192.