SUDAN: Authorities report that during the previous three days, attacks on villages in Sudan’s Blue Nile state have resulted in at least 230 fatalities and more than 200 injuries.
The health minister for the southern state, which borders South Sudan and Ethiopia, Gamal Nasser al-Sayed, told the Guardian that more than 30,000 residents of eight villages in the Wad al-Mahi region had been forced to escape after their homes were set on fire and locals were attacked.
On each side of the Blue Nile River, near the cities of Damazin and Roseires, numerous women and children traveled for several hours to get to safety.
Al-Sayed said: “It’s just heartbreaking to see all these children and their mothers having to walk for hours to take shelter at schools here. Many of them are sick with malaria, and we had to ask people for donations of mosquito nets; as a ministry, we do not have enough resources to get them. “
Since the military takeover conducted by the nation’s army head, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, last year, political turmoil and the economic crisis have gotten worse throughout Sudan.
Due to land issues that have gone unsolved by the national government for more than ten years, tensions in the Blue Nile and West Kordofan states have been building to the point that they are being brutally and violently settled between communities. Rival communities have been backed and armed, according to opposing elements of the ruling party.
According to UN and World Bank data, agriculture and livestock account for 43% of employment and 30% of the country’s GDP, making access to land a crucial problem in Sudan.
Government employee Abdo Yassen, 37, described leaving everything in his community behind to go with his wife and child.
Political turmoil and the economic crisis have worsened throughout Sudan since Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country’s army chief, staged a military coup last year.
Land issues that have gone unsolved by the federal government for more than ten years have caused tensions in the Blue Nile and West Kordofan states to explode into violent violence amongst communities. Rival communities are allegedly supported and armed by opposing elements of the ruling party.
According to UN and World Bank data, agriculture and livestock account for 43% of employment and 30% of the country’s GDP, making access to land a crucial problem in Sudan.
Also Read: Sudan To Return To Civilian Rule Soon
