2,500 displaced as fighting erupts in Sudan’s Blue Nile state

+ ↺ − 16 pxAbout 2,500 people have been displaced from Geisan in Sudan’s Blue Nile state after fighting erupted in the town Tuesday, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Most of those displaced moved to other locations within the Geisan area, while some crossed the border into neighboring Ethiopia, the agency said. On July 10, the army said it had repelled an attack on Dim Saad and Yara in the Geisan district. The Sudanese army controls large parts of Blue Nile state, while the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North has fought the government since 2011 in pursuit of greater autonomy for South Kordofan and Blue Nile. The new displacement in Blue Nile adds to the mounting humanitarian pressure as fighting continues to threaten civilian communities in areas already affected by years of conflict.