A long journey marked by fear, hunger and thirst has been undertaken by large numbers of Sudanese families fleeing cities and towns in North Kordofan state, where fighting has flared again, for Omdurman, the second-largest city in the capital Khartoum.
Families that have lost children, relatives, and perhaps all their possessions have been forced to leave their homes and take difficult routes through mountains and valleys. Some have travelled on foot, while others have relied on animal-drawn carts or trucks. Others have become stranded before reaching safety.
Reports by local and international aid organizations said hundreds of families — with some estimates putting the number at more than 3,000 — have been displaced in recent weeks following a resurgence of military operations in parts of North Kordofan, amid what the reports described as “dire humanitarian conditions”.
After weeks of hardship, the families reached the far western outskirts of Omdurman “hungry and exhausted,” carrying what remained of their belongings and memories of the homes they had left behind.
Others had lost family members along the arduous journey. But reaching Omdurman did not end their ordeal. Displaced families face shortages of food and drinking water and a lack of humanitarian assistance, while cases of diarrhea, fever and infections are spreading among children, turning their escape from the war into an open-ended ordeal with no clear end in sight.
The arduous journey
The Sudanese Armed Forces and allied forces are seeking to expand their control in North Kordofan and secure the area around the state capital, El Obeid, while large numbers of the Rapid Support Forces are positioned west and south of the city.
Halima Dhow al-Bait said she fled with her family of nine from the Al-Jamama area of Sodari locality in North Kordofan after they were forced to leave their home at gunpoint.
Her journey took several days aboard cargo trucks and was arduous and exhausting, while some residents and neighbors became stranded in the mountains and among the trees.
“We arrived in Omdurman in a state of extreme exhaustion,” the Sudanese woman told Asharq Al-Awsat. “During the first few days, we received some food supplies, including oil, sugar and flour, but those supplies later stopped.”
Another displaced woman said: “During the journey, three of my children fell ill because of hunger, thirst and the hardships of the road.”
“We left our homes, our property and everything we owned. We left with nothing but the clothes we were wearing,” she said. “Our situation is now extremely difficult, and we are receiving no humanitarian assistance.”
“We saw death with our own eyes”
Sudan’s humanitarian crisis has deepened as a result of the war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, which has continued since April 2023, killing hundreds of thousands of people and displacing about 13 million others as refugees and internally displaced people, according to UN estimates.
Sayedah Khamis, a displaced woman from the town of Al-Jamama, recounted the details of her arduous journey.
“Our journey took about 13 days. At times we travelled on foot, and at others in donkey-drawn carts,” she said.
“We left because of the deteriorating security situation, violations and the looting of civilians’ property,” she added.
The displaced woman described the hardship of the journey and the harsh conditions her family endured throughout those days.
A New Reality
Renewed fighting in Sudan’s Kordofan region has displaced hundreds of families to El Obeid, Khartoum, Kosti and Omdurman. The crisis has also displaced about 200,000 people in North Darfur and a similar number in Blue Nile state.
Mohamed Ali, who was also displaced from Abu Hadid, said armed conflict forced his family to leave the area. They traveled for about two weeks through mountains and valleys, using different forms of transport and sometimes sleeping outdoors in harsh conditions amid insects and disease. He said they lost several family members along the way and now urgently need food and clean drinking water, particularly as flies have contributed to illnesses among children.
Although the families’ displacement journey to Omdurman may have ended, their hardship continues. They have lost homes, property and relatives, and now face a daily struggle for food, water and healthcare. Their hope of returning home remains on hold until the violence ends, turning their escape from war into an ongoing fight for survival.
