At least between 14, 000 and 15, 000 people are reportedly displaced as Rapid Support Forces entered Sudan’s Wad Madani town on Monday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs or OCHA has said.
The statement sent to Eye Radio newsroom stated that the clashes remain ongoing and the situation remains tense and unpredictable.
According to UN-OCHA, the fighting broke out on Friday last week between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in the outskirts of Wad Madani.
Wad Medani is located in Aj Jazirah State in Sudan, 136 km southeast of Khartoum’s capital.
The UN reported that airstrikes were reported since Friday last week in the western, northern, and eastern parts of Wad Medani and the vicinity of Alsharfa Barakat village north of the town.
It says the shootings have been heard daily in various areas in and outside Wad Madani.
According to the International Organization for Migration’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), approximately 14,000 – 15,000 people have been displaced from the Medani Al Kubra locality.
The statement stated that affected residents have sought refuge in neighbourhoods westward of Wad Medani town, as well as other locations in Aj Jazirah, and towards Sennar and Gedaref states.
Displacement has also occurred in Gedaref State with the arrival of approximately 1,500 IDPs in Al Fao locality and approximately 3,000 IDPs in Madein at Al Gedaref.
Shops and markets remain closed since 15 December in Wad Medani. Hantoob Bridge in Wad Medani is closed.