Nearly 50,000 displaced in Sudan’s Blue Nile state since start of 2026

Nearly 50,000 people have been displaced across Sudan’s Blue Nile state since the beginning of 2026 amid ongoing clashes in the region, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Tuesday.

In a statement, the organization said an estimated 49,512 people, or 9,899 families, were displaced across the southeastern state between Jan. 11 and May 4.

According to the IOM, 28,020 people were displaced from Kurmuk, 18,722 from Bau and 11,855 from Geissan.

The displaced population moved to seven locations across Blue Nile state, including the state capital Damazin, which received 25,630 displaced people, the organization added.

The IOM said 78 percent of the newly displaced people were sheltering in informal gathering sites, while 13 percent were staying in schools and other public buildings and 9 percent with host families.

Blue Nile state has witnessed continued clashes involving the Sudanese army, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), which has fought the government since 2011 seeking regional autonomy for South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Since April 2023, the RSF has been fighting the Sudanese army in a conflict triggered by disagreements over integrating the paramilitary force into the military.

The conflict has caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing around 13 million across Sudan.

*Writing by Sahin Demir in Istanbul