By Benadeta Mwaura - Reporter
Sudan, 7 January 2026 - Hundreds of Sudanese civilians have endured harrowing journeys across borders and back again in a desperate bid to escape fighting near the Heglig oil town in western Sudan, underscoring the deepening humanitarian toll of the country’s prolonged civil war.
Residents of Heglig, a small but strategically vital oil-producing town in West Kordofan state, were forced to flee when fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) closed in on the area late last year.
The paramilitary group’s advance followed its consolidation of control over neighbouring regions, including parts of Kordofan and the Darfur hinterland, in the ongoing conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) that began in April 2023.
Among those displaced is Dowa Hamed, a 25-year-old mother of five paralysed from the waist down.
With her children in tow, she was carried on her husband’s back as the family fled Heglig amid the looming threat of violence and uncertainty about who controlled the town.
Their exodus took them across the South Sudan border twice as they tried to evade advancing fighters and the hazards of front-line warfare.
“I only cared about safety,” Hamed said from the Abu al-Naga displacement camp near Gedaref city, nearly 800 km from their home. “We fled with nothing, only the clothes on our backs.”
Many families like Hamed’s found themselves caught between warring forces, often trekking long distances on foot under harsh conditions. Some were temporarily sheltered inside South Sudan before authorities there arranged for their return to areas of Sudan that remained outside direct conflict zones.
Oil Town Becomes Frontline in Broader Conflict
Heglig hosts one of Sudan’s most important oil fields, supplying crude through the Greater Nile Oil Pipeline, a crucial route for both Sudanese and South Sudanese exports. Its seizure by the RSF not only represents a tactical gain for the paramilitary faction but also carries significant economic implications for both countries, particularly for oil revenues and export infrastructure.
News reports indicate that nearly 2,000 civilians have previously fled Heglig in arduous journeys that lasted almost a week as the RSF consolidated control and displaced families sought safety deep inside other states such as White Nile and Gedaref.
Humanitarian Hardship and Growing Displacement
The crisis in Heglig is part of a much broader humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan.
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The conflict, marked by intense battles between the SAF and the RSF, has seen entire towns emptied as people escape fighting, loss of services and severe shortages of food, water and healthcare.
Millions of Sudanese have been uprooted internally or forced into neighbouring countries since the war began.
Inside displacement camps like Abu al-Naga, conditions are dire. Space is limited, shelter is inadequate for the growing influx of families, and food and medical supplies are scarce, officials and aid workers say.
Some women and children have suffered illnesses or hunger after weeks of displacement on the road.
Officials, including Asia Abdelrahman Hussein, Gedaref state’s minister of social welfare, have urged increased international support to address urgent needs for shelter, clean water and medical care as winter conditions strain vulnerable populations.
Escalation of Sudan’s War and Regional Consequences
The Heglig displacement echoes patterns seen across Sudan, where the RSF’s capture of key locations, including parts of Darfur’s capital and Kordofan towns, has led to waves of civilian flight.
Areas such as South and North Kordofan have reported increasing numbers of families moving toward relative safety in neighbouring regions or across international borders.
With Sudan’s civil war entering its third year, the humanitarian needs continue to grow. Aid agencies have noted that fighting, economic collapse, and disruptions to essential services have created one of the world’s largest displacement crises, with millions in need of basic assistance and protection.
As the conflict shows no sign of immediate resolution, the plight of civilians, particularly those in contested areas like Heglig, illustrates the urgent necessity for expanded humanitarian aid and diplomatic efforts to protect vulnerable populations.
The experiences of families like Hamed’s, who have crossed borders and returned under duress, highlight the human cost of strategic battles over resources and territory in a country torn apart by internal divisions.
