The UN migration agency says displacement in Blue Nile state has risen by a fifth since August, with families increasingly sheltering in schools and informal sites around Ed Damazine and Ar Rusayris. The SPLM-N says an army drone killed five civilians in Kurmuk locality on Saturday.
An estimated 119,782 people from 23,598 households were displaced from locations across Sudan's Blue Nile state between 11 January and 15 October 2026, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in its latest Displacement Tracking Matrix update. The figure is a 21% rise on the 99,277 recorded on 23 August, Anadolu Agency and The Eastleigh Voice reported. IOM said the increase "reflects both new displacement due to continued insecurity and expanded data collection".
Where people are fleeing from and to
Most people fled from Geisan (40,090), Kurmuk (31,165), Baw (27,192) and Wad al-Mahi (21,335) localities, all close to the front line and the Ethiopian and South Sudanese borders, according to IOM figures reported by The Sudan Times. Around 69% are now in Ed Damazine (45,815) and Ar Rusayris (36,950). The number in Ar Rusayris has more than tripled since August, according to Sudan Now, which also cites IOM as putting the state's total displaced population at 417,714.
Shelter is becoming more precarious. More than half of newly displaced households are in informal gathering sites, and 20% are in schools and other public buildings, up from 9% in August. The share hosted by families fell from 33% to 24%. Women and girls make up about 56% of the displaced, and children under 18 about 45%. IOM's previous flash alert gives the August baseline. The state's humanitarian aid commissioner has said families are spread across 27 camps and shelter centres.
Strike on Balila
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, a founding member of the Tasis alliance, said an army drone struck Balila in Kurmuk locality on Saturday 31 October, killing five civilians, wounding four and destroying a commercial centre, The Sudan Times reported, citing a statement carried by Radio Dabanga. The casualties and responsibility could not be independently verified.
Both sides accuse the other of drone attacks in the state. Port Sudan's Sovereignty Council says drones launched from Ethiopia killed 30 displaced civilians in Wad el-Mahi on 9 October, a claim Ethiopia rejects. Fighting between the army and Tasis-aligned forces, including the RSF and the SPLM-N, has affected Kurmuk, Geisan, Baw and Wad al-Mahi in recent weeks.
Photo: The Roseires Dam on the Blue Nile at Ar Rusayris, 2025. Mustafa Barrin, via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.