West Kordofan violence forces thousands to South Sudan
West Kordofan violence forces thousands to South Sudan
Refugee influx adds burden to nation struggling to heal from its own conflict
The violence in Sudan casts a long shadow across the border into neighboring South Sudan. Over 17,000 refugees have fled the escalating violence in Western Kordofan, seeking refuge in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state. This influx adds a significant burden to a nation still struggling to heal from the scars of its own civil war.
A new civil war between Sudan’s traditional military, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has been raging since April 2023. According to UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), at least 8.6 million people have been displaced, including 1.9 million who have fled to neighboring countries such as Chad, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Egypt, and South Sudan.
As of July 14, 2024, South Sudan alone provided shelter to 163,000 Sudanese refugees and 586,000 South Sudanese returnees. The latest UNHCR situation update reported that children constitute approximately 51 percent of the displaced population, making Sudan one of the world’s largest child displacement crises.
The RSF launched an attack on Al-Meiram, one of the largest towns in West Kordofan State, during the early hours of July 3, 2024, targeting a military base hosting the 92nd Infantry Brigade of SAF. Residents had previously reported attacks around villages surrounding Al-Meiram, following the fall of Al-Fula, the state capital, to the RSF on June 20.
West Kordofan has four SAF brigades belonging to the 22nd Infantry Division: the 89th in Muglad, the 90th in Heglig (and Belila, which was overrun), the 91st in El Fula, and the 92nd in Al-Meiram. The RSF now controls nearly the entire state, except for the 22nd Infantry Division headquarters in Babanusa and the 90th infantry brigade in Heglig.
The fighting in this southern-most Sudanese state has driven thousands of refugees to South Sudan’s Northern Bahr el Ghazal, the disputed Abyei Administrative Area (AAA), and the oil-rich state of Unity. Southerners who had sought refuge in Sudan following the outbreak of war in South Sudan in December 2013 have also been affected, with hundreds of thousands forced to return to South Sudan.
Lual Awach, the Chairperson of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) in South Sudan’s Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Benson, told Sudan War Monitor on Saturday that between 15,000 and 17,000 people have sought refuge in Northern Bahr el Ghazal since the war broke out last year. He said 354 households comprising 2,000 people arrived in the area between June and July 20, 2024:
“There are new returnees who arrived last week. There is an estimate of around 15,000 to 17,000 individuals. The refugees have support because they are fully under the UNHCR, which is responsible for all the refugees. So, their settlement, the issue of shelter, is not a problem for them. They can get food assistance, and they can even be assisted with land for cultivation during this rainy season. Many refugees are now cultivating in areas around Wadwill. And we talk to the humanitarian agencies so that they can provide them with seeds and farming tools and equipment. Also, there are medical supplies for them. There is medical assistance provided to those refugees.”
Several refugees reported poor conditions in the camp, including lack of hygiene, clean drinking water, and proper nutrition for the children. They said that many people have left the camp and been forced to engage in economic activities that, due to the economic crisis in South Sudan, are unreliable. But Lual denied these claims, saying that refugees have left the camp purely for lucrative economic activities and not due to improper conditions in the camp.
“What I know, it is not a situation that causes them to leave the camp. It is those who have the opportunity to go and do multi-business practices in the market. That is why you see some of the refugees leave the camp and start their business. But the situation, compared to the returnees, is much better than the South Sudanese returnees who came from Sudan,” he said.
According to Lual, the refugees come from Meriam and Muglad, where some South Sudanese refugees also come from. He said around 70,000 returnee households have also registered. He said the individuals in these households amount to about 289,037 as of Saturday, July 20, 2024.
“The new arrivals are from Kordofan, this side of Meiram and Muglad. We have around 70,000 households of returnees. The general total of returnees since the eruption of the war in Sudan is 70,848 households. We have 289,037 individuals. We don't camp them. There are no camps for returnees. The South Sudan government policy doesn't allow returnees to camp themselves. When they come, we integrate them into their respective communities,” he said.
Defeated SAF unit crosses into Bahr el-Ghazal
Following the fall of Al-Meiram, hundreds of Sudanese soldiers crossed the border into Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, South Sudan. In a video circulating online, Brigadier General Essam Ayoub Al-Khalifa, the commander of SAF’s Meiram-based 92nd Infantry Brigade, thanked South Sudan for their assistance. He acknowledged fleeing with his men and praised the South Sudanese People's Defense Force (SSPDF) for receiving them well.
“The Sudanese Armed Forces, under my command, have come to our bothers in the South Sudan army. We were once united, and in this time of need, that bond has been rekindled. We are, as they say, 'one soul in two bodies.' [The South Sudan army] has shown true hospitality, treating our wounded with compassion and securing the key border crossings at Majok. This action ensures safe passage for any remaining SAF personnel,” he said.
The influx of refugees to South Sudan is increasingly becoming a burden. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in July 2011, but the country quickly plunged into a civil war that, according to international organizations, has killed about 400,000 people and displaced millions to both internal and external camps. A peace agreement signed in 2018 to end the conflict has not been fully implemented, with rival leaders exchanging blames.
Though the agreement ended political violence at the national level, subnational and ethnic fighting continue to displace and kill many. Rebel groups who did not sign the 2018 agreement have also continued to fight the government.
An ongoing peace initiative in Kenya aimed at bringing those non-signatory groups onboard has failed to be inclusive, with main armed rebel groups being excluded from the talks. The relations between Sudanese and South Sudanese governments remain complex and strained, influenced by their intertwined histories and the ongoing conflicts.