Approximately 1,700 civilians displaced by fighting in Sudan’s West Kordofan province have arrived at the Gos Alsalam displacement camp in Kosti, White Nile province. The group, primarily women and children, fled the Heglig area in early December after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took control of the region’s oilfield.
The displacement occurred after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) withdrew from the area, which was followed by the RSF’s advance. Those who fled cited the conflict and a lack of basic necessities as their reasons for leaving. Some traveled by truck from their towns and villages to reach the camp in Kosti.
New arrivals at the Gos Alsalam camp have reported difficult humanitarian conditions and a shortage of essential supplies.
“We left without anything … we just took some clothes,” stated one elderly woman who arrived at the camp.
Another displaced woman described the lack of basic shelter materials. “We have no blankets or any sheets, nothing,” she said.
The conflict between the SAF and RSF began in April 2023. The United Nations has since described the humanitarian situation in Sudan as the world’s largest. According to humanitarian agencies, the fighting has resulted in the displacement of millions of people and widespread food shortages across the nation.
Among those at the Gos Alsalam camp is Umm Azmi, who reported giving birth while fleeing to safety.
“I gave birth in the street – the condition is very difficult,” she said. “I had just given birth, and I had nothing to eat. Sometimes we eat anything we find in the streets.”
Camp organizers are working to accommodate the new arrivals, but reports from the ground indicate that the available humanitarian support is strained by the increasing number of displaced persons seeking shelter.
