Families Flee Kordofan: Eight-Day Mountain Trek as Conflict Intensifies

For eight days, farmer Ibrahim Hussein led his family through rocky ridges and valleys of the Nuba Mountains to escape escalating fighting in southern Kordofan, the latest and most volatile front in Sudan's 31-month-long conflict.

Flight From Keiklek

"We left everything behind," the 47-year-old told AFP after arriving in Kosti, an army-controlled city in White Nile state roughly 300 kilometres south of Khartoum. "Our animals and our unharvested crops — all of it." Hussein fled Keiklek near the South Sudan border with his family of seven, travelling largely on foot and passing both paramilitary and army checkpoints.

Growing Humanitarian Crisis

Kosti has become a refuge for hundreds of families escaping violence in oil-rich Kordofan, where the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a brutal war since April 2023. Emboldened by their October capture of the army's last stronghold in Darfur, the RSF and allied groups have pushed into Kordofan in recent weeks, prompting the United Nations to report nearly 53,000 newly displaced people.

"For most of the war, we lived in peace and looked after our animals. But when the RSF came close, we were afraid fighting would break out. So we left, most of the way on foot." — Ibrahim Hussein

The RSF has consolidated control of West Kordofan and seized Heglig, which sits above Sudan's largest oil field. With local allies they have tightened sieges on the army-held towns of Kadugli and Dilling, where aid agencies warn hundreds of thousands now face the threat of mass starvation.

Routes, Costs And Risks

With main roads deemed unsafe, families are taking long, uncertain routes and often sleeping outdoors. "Journeys that once took four hours now force people to walk for 15 to 30 days through isolated and mine-littered terrain," said Miji Park, interim country director for Mercy Corps. In one two-day period this week, nearly 4,000 people arrived in Kosti, according to Mohamed Refaat, IOM's chief of mission for Sudan. "Most of those arriving are women and children. Very few adult men are with them," he said.

Transport costs have surged, further limiting who can flee. Fares from El-Obeid in North Kordofan have reportedly risen more than tenfold in two months. For many families, reaching safety carries a high price: Adam Eissa paid about $400 to get his wife, four daughters and elderly mother to Kosti; those without funds often must walk or remain behind.

Attacks And Protection Concerns

Humanitarian agencies report alarming attacks on civilians and health facilities. Earlier this month, drone strikes hit a kindergarten and a hospital in Kalogi, South Kordofan, killing 114 people, including 63 children, the World Health Organization said. The UN has repeatedly warned of a heightened risk of atrocities — including summary executions, abductions and sexual violence — if fighting around towns such as Kadugli is not halted.

Local accounts describe daily shelling, shortages of food and medicine, and families forced to make agonizing choices between staying in place and taking dangerous routes out. "Getting out is expensive and the road is unsafe," said Kassem Eissa, a civil servant and father of eight. "We're struggling to get enough food and medicine."

Humanitarian groups say the international response is constrained by insecurity and logistics, and that cities like Kosti — already hosting thousands of South Sudanese refugees — are under severe strain. Aid agencies continue to call for safe corridors, immediate protection for civilians and scaled-up assistance to prevent further loss of life.