The UN warned on Thursday that fighting between the military of Sudan and a renowned paramilitary group had forced up to 300,000 people from Jazeera province, which served as a haven for families impacted by the horrific violence in the nation.

The violence began in Wad Medani, the provincial seat, earlier this month when the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) assaulted the city. This week, Wad Medani was allegedly under RSF control. In response, the military declared its intention to leave the city and opened an investigation.

Tensions between RSF commander Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo and military head Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan are the root cause of the ongoing crisis in Sudan, which started in mid-April. President Omar al-Bashir was overthrown by a popular revolt in April 2019, but the country’s transition to democracy was halted when both leaders masterminded a military coup in October 2021.

Sudan’s Refugee Migration

According to the UN agency International Organization for Migration, between 250,000 and 300,000 people left the province for safer locations in the provinces of al-Qadarif, Sinnar, and the White Nile, many of them allegedly on foot. According to the report, many sought refuge in nearby towns, while some took refuge in camps for internally displaced persons.

The breadbasket of Sudan, Jazeera, was home to over 6 million Sudanese. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that since the war, roughly 500,000 displaced people have migrated to the province, primarily from Khartoum, the city and epicenter of the battle.

Over 5,000 killed. At least 7.1 million uprooted from their homes. More than 6 million on the verge of famine. These numbers will keep growing as long as the guns keep talking. The international community can – and must – do more to help stop the fighting in #Sudan.#UNGA78 https://t.co/vF62bK61x5

— Rosemary A. DiCarlo (@DicarloRosemary) September 20, 2023

Over 86,000 of the displaced had been housed in Medani, which is roughly 60 miles (or 100 kilometers) southeast of Khartoum, according to OCHA.

The World Food Program declared on Wednesday that it has put a temporary stop to food assistance in certain areas of Jazeera, citing a “major setback” to relief efforts in the region.

According to the U.N. food organization, 800,000 individuals in the province—many of them were families who had fled the fighting in Khartoum—have received assistance.

The fighting in Sudan has destroyed the nation and claimed up to 9,000 lives as of October. The true cost, according to medical associations and activists, is much higher.

As per U.N. data, over 7 million people were pushed from their homes, with over 1.5 million of them seeking safety in neighboring countries. Over half a million refugees arrived in Chad, most of them were from Darfur, a region of western Sudan that the RSF had captured most of.

As a hub for humanitarian efforts in the nation, Wad Medani was forced to evacuate its personnel by numerous relief organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Residents of Wad Medani were terrified that the RSF would commit crimes in their city, much as they had in Darfur and the capital, Khartoum, after taking control of the area. The RSF has been charged with atrocities in Darfur, the site of a genocidal campaign in the early 2000s, by the U.N. and human rights organizations.

The Janjaweed, state-sponsored Arab militias accused of numerous murders, rapes, and other atrocities during the Darfur conflict, gave rise to the RSF.

After the RSF ransacked their village, al-Sharfa Barakar, north of Wad Medani, Ahmed Tag el-Sir, a father of three, fled to the neighboring province of al-Qadarif with his family.

From a relative’s home, where he and two other families are seeking refuge, the guy added, “They shelled the village and took over residents’ homes, like they did in Darfur.” “We ran away from fear of the Janjaweed killing us or raping our women.”

Violence in Sudan

Since violence broke out in Sudan between it’s military and Rapid Support Forces on 15 April 2023, over 140,000 people—mostly women and children from South Sudan—have fled to White Nile state. According to local authorities, these people are currently living in 10 camps that house about 387,000 people, and they have enormous unmet needs for food, shelter, healthcare, water, and sanitation.

Tens of new cases of probable measles and malnutrition among children are reported every day, overwhelming MSF workers operating in parts of these sites.

“A growing number of people are arriving every day. According to Ali Mohammed Dawoud, MSF medical activity manager, “this in turn increases the need for improved health services, food, and shelter.”

MSF teams began providing primary healthcare support to three clinics managed by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in June. These clinics are located in the Um Sangour and Al Alagaya refugee camps, as well as in Khor Ajwal, which is home to Sudanese refugees who were uprooted from Blue Nile state.

About fifty very acutely malnourished children are hospitalized to the hospital in the Al Kashafa refugee camp, some of whom are referred from other camps. More recently, MSF has also begun to support this inpatient therapeutic feeding center.

Around 70,000 people live in Um Sangour, a camp designed to hold roughly 30,000 people. In the crammed camps, there are enormous and increasing demands. “Malnutrition, pneumonia, and suspected measles are the most common illnesses affecting the community here, especially in children under the age of five,” stated Ali.

Over 3 million people have been forced to from their homes in Sudan in less than three months due to violent fighting, with the intention of protecting themselves and their families from violence (UNOCHA). Due to violence, more than 2.1 million people have fled their homes and sought safety inside Sudan.

The International Organization for Migration reports that West Darfur, the River Nile, the Northern states, and White Nile state are home to some of the greatest concentrations of internally displaced persons.

The people of the Nuba Mountains, the Blue Nile, and eastern Sudan were all affected by Sudan’s longest civil war, which lasted from 1983 to 2005. The 2005 peace deal did not address these additional conflicts.

The economic and political divide between the regions has not been adequately handled by any government, military or civilian, so it was only a matter of time until the violence from the peripheries spread to the center.