CSI is providing support to IDPs in Eri camp. csi
Since the outbreak of war in April 2023, millions of Sudanese people have fled their homes and sought refuge in safer areas, including the Nuba Mountains. This southern region, with a large Christian minority, is now home to around two million internally displaced persons (IDPs) spread across 15 camps.
As the influx continues, resources are strained to breaking point. With few humanitarian organizations operating in the area owing to the danger, the burden of caring for the new arrivals has fallen to the local communities. Meanwhile, Christian Solidarity International (CSI) is providing much needed humanitarian aid to four IDP camps—including Eri and Andulu, which acts as a temporary reception center.
Violence, confusion and fear
Intazar, 45, fled Khartoum in November 2025, and now lives with her five children in Eri camp – which is home to around 25,000 people.
“My husband is no longer alive. I lost him during the conflict, and since then I have been alone, taking care of my children by myself,” the grieving mother tells CSI. “Life became impossible in my village. There was fighting everywhere, and it was no longer safe to stay.
“I was very afraid during the journey. There was violence, confusion, and fear all around us. But I thank God that I survived and managed to bring my children here safely. “
Like Intazar, many have traveled for days or weeks braving the dangers to seek safety for themselves and their families. Some end up being separated from their loved ones. All are traumatized.
The pain of separation
“When we fled, my husband and I were separated. There was no goodbye. No last words,” says Muoda, whose eyes tell a story of suffering. The young woman was pregnant at the time they decided to flee. “We ran in different directions in the chaos. I do not know where he is. I do not know if he is alive. There is no connection, no way to contact him. I carry that pain every day.”
Muoda may not have her husband, but she still has her children. And they are the reason she keeps going: “I want them to go to school. I want them to grow up without fear. I want them to remember something other than war.”
Safe—for now at least
Many have fled in terror following aerial strikes on their village, like the members of the extended family from Kadugli that the project team met. After 14 male members of the family had been killed in a drone attack the women gathered up a few belongings and left immediately.
Muoda’s family was also terrorized by drones. “When the war reached our town, everything changed,” she says. The drones came first. You could hear them before you saw them, a distant buzzing in the sky that made your heart beat faster.”
“We arrived here on November 20, 2025,” she tells CSI. Since we came, nothing bad has happened to us. That alone feels like a blessing. For the first time in a long while, I can sleep without the sound of drones above us.”
But this degree of peace could be shattered at any moment.
“The Nuba Mountains is a conflict zone,” the CSI project supervisor says. “And the war is drawing closer, bringing a constant sense of tension and insecurity.”
Catastrophic situation
On arrival at the camp, the exhausted and hungry families seek shelter under a tree, hanging their paltry possessions from its branches.
“The situation is catastrophic,” says the CSI project supervisor. “Many have not eaten for days, they are traumatized, and completely disoriented.”
She adds: “On days when up to 400 people arrive, the situation becomes chaotic. There is no consistent NGO presence, only occasional limited support.”
Community support
This is where the host community comes in. The Nuban people live a very simple existence. Their homes are thatched mud houses, red like the earth they are made of, baked dry by the sun. Their diet mainly consists of sorghum, a type of grain.
Although the resident Nuban population have very little themselves, when they are able, they provide small amounts of food to the camp administrators for distribution to the new arrivals.
“I was very touched by the local community,” says the CSI staffer. “These people who have nothing themselves, who are victims of civil war and persecution, still share what little they have. They will share half of their food with the new arrivals so at least the children get something to eat.”
But this alone is not enough. For more than two years, CSI has been distributing food and emergency aid to hundreds of households in IDP camps in the Nuba Mountains. But the need is overwhelming, as the CSI project supervisor admits.
“Food distribution is absolutely essential, as it can quite literally save lives,” she says.
CSI relies on its supporters to fund its humanitarian work in the Nuba Mountains. To donate, please visit the Donations page on our website.
