“People are facing multiple protection risks and have reported widespread looting of homes and personal property,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a flash update issued late Thursday.
Humanitarian partners receiving displaced people from Sennar state in southeastern Sudan are scaling up their response to meet their needs, the report added.
The provinces of Sennar, Sinja and Ad Dinder had to take in about 286,000 displaced people before clashes escalated there in late June.
This suggests that those newly displaced from Sennar may have been displaced at least once before.
Homes, shops targeted
They are facing numerous threats to their safety, with reports of widespread looting of homes, vehicles and personal belongings, allegedly carried out by members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Local shops and markets were also targeted, depriving people of vital resources and adding to unrest.
Fighting between rival military forces, the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF, began in April last year, amid escalating tensions over the transition to civilian rule.
The broader situation
OCHA also reported that displaced people in Sennar have fled to the neighboring states of Gedaref, Kassala and Blue Nile.
Some 26,000 people – including 6,800 children – have reportedly arrived in Gedaref, where they are gathering at a local market and are in desperate need of food, water and shelter, according to an OCHA team in the area.
As of Wednesday, 1,000 more people from Sennar had arrived at the reception center in Kassala state.
Furthermore, more than 30,000 people have arrived in Blue Nile state. Most of them are being housed in school buildings that have taken in other displaced communities.
United Nations response
In response to the influx of migrants, UN humanitarian groups have distributed ready-to-eat meals and drinking water to families.
They also provide basic health care services through a mobile clinic and support a communal kitchen capable of feeding about 15,000 people.
However, OCHA said even as humanitarian partners are scaling up their response following increased displacement, more support is needed to meet growing needs.
