At least 250,000 people have fled fighting in a Sudanese state once seen as a safe haven for those escaping the civil war, the UN said.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have advanced into the city of Wad Madani, in al Jazira state.
For months, both the state and the city have housed large numbers seeking safety from fighting in the capital.
Many in Wad Madani have fled the city without having anywhere to go, a resident told the BBC.
“So many people are wandering, there is no transportation, nothing to take us, many people do not know where to go, they are just running away,” Ahamed Fadol, who moved to Wad Madani from the capital, Khartoum, after the conflict began, said.
As people have been leaving the city over the past few days, the cost of transport has climbed. On Tuesday, no transport was available at all.
As a result, Mr Fadol walked for three hours to seek refuge in a village called Marnjan.
Eissa Mussa also found himself fleeing for a second time on Tuesday – he had initially left Khartoum after her home in the south of the city was bombed several times.
The 38-year-old said: “I got on a lorry after being exhausted and fled [Wad Madani] to Blue Nile state, I didn’t want to wait like last time when I was in Khartoum.”
Residents of the city said the RSF – who are fighting the army – had attacked a hospital and taken over a military base.
—BBC
