Hundreds of families have fled Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, in recent days, seeking refuge in East Darfur as violence escalates between General al-Burhan’s forces (SAF) and RSF.
The mass displacement follows reports of attacks by jihadists militias aligned with the SAF, targeting civilians in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Displaced residents told Darfur 24 that the journey out of Khartoum has been perilous, taking more than two weeks due to worsening security conditions. Hussein Mohamadeen, who fled the Ad Babiker neighborhood in eastern Khartoum, said his family faced the threat of armed raids by pro-SAF Islamists, who carried out killings and arrests under allegations of RSF collaboration. “We no longer felt safe in our own homes,” he said.
For many fleeing Khartoum, Libya has emerged as a potential escape route, despite the dangers and high costs involved. Others, like Mohamadeen, have sought safety in RSF-controlled areas in Darfur and Kordofan. After a 17-day journey, he and his seven-member family arrived in East Darfur, having exhausted their food supplies along the way.
Um Hani Abdullah Jaber, another displaced resident, said she and her family traveled from Omdurman’s Salha district through West Kordofan before reaching El Daein in East Darfur. She plans to continue to Rehaid Al-Bardi, west of Nyala in South Darfur, where a former neighbor from Omdurman has offered her shelter. “It’s difficult to seek refuge abroad,” she said.
Local emergency response teams in El Daein have reported cases of displaced women and children who were separated from their families while fleeing Khartoum. Khalifa Hamdan, a member of an emergency committee in eastern El Daein, said at least six unaccompanied children and women have been identified, with many others in urgent need of medical and humanitarian aid. He called on humanitarian organizations to intervene and provide assistance.
