The town of Al-Meiram in West Kordofan State has experienced a mass exodus of residents and the displaced persons in anticipation of clashes, following reports of movements by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
A member of the Al-Meiram Emergency Response Committee, Musallam Ali, told Radio Tamazuj on Monday that 90 percent of the city’s residents had collectively fled to avoid the threat of violence.
Ali noted that many displaced individuals had reached areas such as Um Banat, Al-Jarrar, Um Dagago, and others near Al-Meiram. He mentioned that over 70 families from Babanusa, who had been displaced, and had fled again from Al-Meiram, have been documented, with efforts ongoing to account for the rest.
The Emergency Committee provided breakfast for the displaced who were currently in the open, and were working to continue supplying meals to those without shelter.
Ali highlighted significant challenges in obtaining food due to the closure of Al-Meiram market and the scarcity in the surrounding areas.
“We are facing major difficulties in acquiring shelter materials as many of the displaced left their homes without any belongings,” he stated.
He added that the Committee had managed to secure some medications for patients with prescriptions. However, they remain uncertain about the situation inside the city, with only the sound of distant gunfire as an indication of ongoing conflict. Ali confirmed that the majority of the city’s inhabitants had evacuated.
Sudan has been gripped by war since April 2023, when fighting erupted between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The RSF controls most of the capital Khartoum, Al-Gazira state in the centre of the country, parts of Sennar State to the southeast, the vast western region of Darfur and much of Kordofan to the south.