ED DAMAZIN – A civil society group in Sudan’s Blue Nile region has warned of worsening hunger and acute malnutrition among displaced families, calling for urgent humanitarian intervention as renewed fighting drives further displacement and strains already limited services.

The Blue Nile Civil Society Initiative said families were facing increasingly severe food shortages and warned that children and other vulnerable groups were particularly at risk.

The group called for an immediate humanitarian response and an end to the fighting, saying continued conflict was worsening food insecurity and limiting families’ ability to meet basic needs.

Its statement did not provide detailed nutritional assessments, mortality figures or data establishing famine conditions in Blue Nile.

International humanitarian classifications have not currently identified Blue Nile as an area in famine, although food insecurity across Sudan remains severe.

The International Organization for Migration estimated that 119,782 people were displaced from areas of Blue Nile between Jan. 11 and Oct. 15, a 21% increase from its August estimate.

Nearly half of those displaced were children, while many newly displaced families were sheltering in informal gathering sites, schools and other public buildings.

Recent fighting has affected Geisan, Al-Kurmuk, Baw and Wad Al-Mahi, pushing families toward Ed Damazin, Ar Rusayris and other locations already hosting displaced people and returnees.

Humanitarian agencies have separately warned that insecurity is restricting access to some displacement sites and limiting assessments, food assistance, healthcare and protection services.

The deterioration comes amid a wider hunger crisis across Sudan.

The World Food Programme estimates that about 19.5 million people nationwide are facing acute hunger, including around 5 million experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity.

Conflict, displacement, high food prices, damaged infrastructure and restricted humanitarian access remain major drivers of the crisis.

The Blue Nile Civil Society Initiative urged humanitarian agencies and donors to increase assistance before conditions deteriorate further, particularly for children, women and displaced families.