At least 250,000 flee Sudan's Al Jazirah as fighting intensifies

At least 250,000 to 300,000 people have fled Sudan's Al Jazirah state since December 15 as a result of clashes between the Rapid Support Forces [RSF] and Sudan's army, the International Organization for Migration [IOM] said.

IOM’s announcement came on Monday after witnesses said RSF entered Wad Madani, Sudan's second-largest city, which is packed with displaced people and an aid hub of over eight months of war.

Videos posted by the RSF showed fighters in pick-up trucks driving along streets in Wad Madani and over a bridge across the Blue Nile that it had been fighting over with the army. Witnesses said they also raided nearby villages.

The African Union Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat called the two sides to immediately cease hostilities and participate in negotiations towards building and sustaining peace in Sudan.

More than 12,000 people have been killed and over 33,000 wounded as a result of the conflict, according to the UN.

Approximately 25 million people, half of the population, need humanitarian aid.

About 7 million people in Sudan have been displaced within the country or fled in search of security in neighbouring countries.

___

Source: TRT