Residents of Al-Damazin and Al-Roseires cities in the Blue Nile region have complained about a lack of clean drinking water, a rising cost of living and an unstable electricity supply since the war broke out in Sudan in April last year.
Al-Damazin, which has witnessed population expansion and growth due to massive neighbourhood displacements, continues to suffer as residents go without essential commodities.
The price of a barrel of drinking water in some neighbourhoods in the city has risen to more than 5,000 pounds following the ever-rising cost of living and essential commodities.
Citizen Manoufli Al-Sadiq, who spoke with Radio Tamazuj, said, “The General Electricity Administration continues to collect fees without providing the service. When we report this to them, they do not try to address the problem.”
Citizen Budoor Siraj, who lives in the Dar Al-Salam neighbourhood, spoke about the challenges some neighbourhoods face in obtaining water and electricity, urging the Water Authority to intervene in the problems.
Budoor said, “The water authority should review the water supply lines in neighbourhoods to address the problem and restore the service.”
Hiba Abdelmalek, another resident, said, “The effects of the war and its repercussions have affected all aspects of life. In the Blue Nile region, we suffer from a sharp rise in prices and scarcity of services.”
Hiba appealed to leaders of the warring parties to stop the war and destruction that has befallen the country and its citizens.
The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been engaged in a war since last April that has resulted in 15,000 deaths and more than 8 million displaced and refugees, according to the UN.
Since the start of the civil war, thousands of homes, schools, hospitals, and other vital civilian structures have been destroyed, plunging the country into a severe humanitarian crisis, and creating the world’s largest displacement crisis.