The International Organization for Migration said Sunday that nearly 100,000 people were displaced within Blue Nile State in southeastern Sudan between January 11 and August 23, 2026, amid escalating fighting and deteriorating security in the state. The organization said its estimates indicated that 99,277 people, representing 19,497 families, had been displaced from various locations across the state.
Rising numbers of displaced people and their geographic distribution
The displaced people moved to seven sites within the state. Damazin received 45,740 people, while Qeissan received 15,735. The organization said 58% sought refuge in informal gathering sites, 33% stayed in schools and other public buildings, and 9% were hosted by families.
Blue Nile State is witnessing a military escalation against the backdrop of attacks that the report said the Rapid Support Forces and their allied Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North are carrying out in several areas of the state. The Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces have been at war since mid-April 2023, leaving more than 20,000 people dead and more than 10 million displaced or seeking refuge, according to the United Nations.
The fighting has spread to 13 of the country’s 18 states, amid United Nations and international calls to end the war and prevent the humanitarian crisis and food shortages from worsening.
