Fighting drives residents from Damazin in Sudan
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Radio Tamazuj
Military operations and reported advances by the Rapid Support Forces and their allies are worrying residents of Damazin, capital of Sudan’s Blue Nile. Residents report departures, disruptions to water and electricity and mill closures, according to Radio Tamazuj.
Residents of Damazin, the capital of Sudan’s Blue Nile region, have begun leaving the city amid intensifying military operations and reports of advances by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N). Samer Ali, a resident, told Radio Tamazuj on Saturday that electricity and water cuts, as well as the closure of grain mills, had worsened living conditions.
However, accounts differ on the situation in the city. Mohamed al-Tayyib described Damazin as calm and safe, saying markets, schools and public institutions were operating normally, while Fathia al-Toum said many residents had fled, with low-income families most exposed due to a lack of transport. The Blue Nile regional authorities urged residents not to be influenced by rumours.
The concern comes as fighting continues in several localities in Blue Nile, notably Kurmuk, Geissan and Wad al-Mahi, with movements reported in Sali, Bakori and the Magja area. Drone strikes on residential neighbourhoods in Damazin have also killed and wounded people, while damage to an electricity substation caused further outages, according to Radio Tamazuj.
The situation is part of a series of fighting and attacks affecting the region. On 5 November, a drone attack cut off water and electricity in Blue Nile, before a drone strike shut down a dialysis centre in Blue Nile on 7 November.
