Sudan: Civilians endure harsh journey from Kordofan to Omdurman

Renewed fighting in North Kordofan, Sudan, has displaced more than 3,000 families in recent weeks, forcing them to flee areas such as Al-Jamama, Sodari and Abu Hadid toward Omdurman, El Obeid, Kosti and Khartoum, according to Asharq Al-Aswat on 27 August 2026.

Many endured journeys lasting up to 13 days or two weeks, travelling on foot, in donkey-drawn carts or cargo trucks through mountains and valleys, with some people becoming stranded and others losing family members along the way. 

After reaching Omdurman, the families remained in dire conditions, struggling to find food, clean drinking water and healthcare as diarrhoea, fever and infections spread among children. Meanwhile, across Sudan, 13 million people have been displaced since fighting began in April 2023.

The war is leaving a generation of Sudanese children at risk of losing access to legal identity and the basic rights and services that depend on birth registration and documentation.

According to Maghrebi.org, Osman Mirghani argues that foreign intervention and competing external interests have become a major factor in sustaining Sudan’s civil war, complicating efforts to bring the conflict to an end. 

There are also reports of Libya’s role in the conflict, including fuel, transit routes, weapons and military equipment, training facilities and mercenaries, highlighting how external support networks have helped sustain the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and prolong Sudan’s war.

The pressure for peace is growing, but ‘anti-war forces’ have rejected Burhan’s dialogue initiative as unilateral and ‘not a real process’. Instead, they called for a peace framework combining humanitarian, security and political tracks rather than focusing solely on political negotiations, highlighting the need for a settlement that gives civilians a meaningful role in shaping Sudan’s future. 

The launch of the Sudan Coalition in Nairobi reflects growing efforts by African rights campaigners to develop a unified civilian response to the war and push for an end to the conflict, while also giving African actors a stronger voice in international efforts to resolve Sudan’s war.  

Additionally, the recent return of 870 Sudanese refugees from Egypt on August 23rd through a voluntary return programme is testing whether wartime recovery is possible, with safe and sustainable reintegration dependent on security, livelihoods and functioning basic services. 

Ultimately, Sudan’s path out of war will depend not only on ending the fighting, but on protecting civilians, limiting external interference and creating the security and conditions needed for sustainable peace and reintegration.

Asharq Al-Aswat, Maghrebi.org