Displaced people in Sudan’s Blue Nile region are facing dire humanitarian conditions amid shortages of food and medicines, the spread of mosquitoes and disease, and an urgent need for educational services and employment opportunities for young people.
They are calling for increased humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs.
Gisma Abdel-Karim, the Blue Nile Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, said they are working to provide an immediate response to displaced people, including food and shelter materials, ahead of the arrival of humanitarian organizations.
“The assistance is being delivered in coordination with partners to ensure that distribution reflects actual needs,” she said. “The World Food Programme (WFP) is providing food baskets, while the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is offering cash assistance to displaced households. Islamic Relief is distributing hygiene supplies, targeting approximately 10,600 pregnant and breastfeeding women.”
Abdel-Karim said the organizations’ interventions varied according to the type of assistance provided, with some distributing household utensils and other essential items. The commission, she added, coordinated with humanitarian organizations operating in the region to avoid duplication and ensure that assistance was directed towards meeting displaced people’s needs.
The humanitarian aid commissioner put the total number of people displaced from localities across Blue Nile at approximately 27,400.
However, Issa Khamis, who was displaced from the Balaro area, said the assistance provided was insufficient to meet displaced people’s basic needs.
“We are struggling with food shortages, while the spread of mosquitoes and disease is making our living conditions increasingly difficult,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, Al-Radhiya Arbab, a displaced mother of 12 from Kurmuk locality, called for medicines to be made available and healthcare services improved.
“I also implore the authorities to enroll children in school so they can continue their education despite the disruption caused by displacement,” she said.
A member of one of the displaced people’s committees said families who fled Kurmuk locality have been experiencing worsening hunger in recent weeks. He called for employment opportunities for young people to help them support their families and ease the financial pressures they face.
These accounts highlight the wide-ranging needs of displaced people in Blue Nile, which extend beyond food and shelter to include healthcare, education and livelihood opportunities. They also underscore the need for continued coordination between the Humanitarian Aid Commission and humanitarian organizations operating in the region to expand the response and better meet the needs of displaced communities.
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