The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced today that they have achieved new territorial gains in South Kurdufan state. Meanwhile, distressing reports and images are emerging, highlighting the suffering of civilians forced to live in the open after being displaced by the ongoing conflict.
According to the RSF, they have taken control of the ‘Barno’ area in the eastern countryside of Kadugli, the capital of South Kurdufan. ‘Barno’ is strategically located northwest of Kadugli and is a key point along the pipeline that transports oil from Sudan and South Sudan to Port Sudan. The town is also situated on the paved road connecting Kadugli with the Heglig region in West Kurdufan. As of now, there has been no official response from the Sudanese Armed Forces.
The escalating security situation has triggered a fresh wave of displacement. The city of Kosti in White Nile state has received over 1,500 displaced individuals from the Heglig area in West Kurdufan. These people arrived after a harrowing journey, fleeing increasing dangers and the lack of basic necessities following the RSF’s control of the area.
Displaced persons recounted tales of constant peril and the loss of everything in their struggle for survival. Images depict children and women exhausted after ten continuous days of walking. Like countless other civilians, they find themselves caught in a conflict to which they are not a party.
Lamia Abdullah, the Humanitarian Aid Commissioner in White Nile state, described the situation of the newly displaced from the Heglig region as catastrophic, emphasizing that the current response is insufficient to meet the overwhelming need. The Humanitarian Aid Commission in West Kurdufan reports that thousands of families remain stranded in the Heglig area and surrounding regions, desperately seeking a safe passage amidst the fighting.
Earlier this week, the RSF launched a widespread drone attack in eastern Sudan, targeting a major power plant. The strikes resulted in power outages in major cities and the deaths of three people.
