About 14,000 people displaced from Ar Rusayris locality are sheltering in three schools in Ed Damazine town, the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) in Blue Nile State reported on 19 July. They were displaced following a wave of intercommunal violence that started in Ganis town and other parts of Ar Rusayris on 14 July. There are reports of an additional 1,000 people displaced in Ar Rusayris, and 500 people in Geisan localities outside Ed Damazine town, pending verification the total number of displaced is likely to increase. The Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) has so far registered 97 total deaths related to the violence.

In addition, an estimated 1,800 people are reportedly displaced to Sennar State. In Kassala, an unverified number of people were reportedly killed on 18 July and a few injured during a protest in solidarity with people affected by the violence in Blue Nile. Urgent support is needed to de-escalate the situation and ensure protection of civilians from further attacks.

The security situation in Blue Nile is calm, but unpredictable. The Area Security Management Team convened on 18 July and agreed on road travel from Khartoum to Ed Damazine with caution and recommended the resumption of UNHAS flights to Ed Damazine on 19 July 2022. Meanwhile, movements to Ganis, Ar Rusayris, Geisan, and Wadi al Hadi (including camp 6) are still restricted until the security situation improves. On 18 July, the Wali (Governor) had a meeting with humanitarian partners and requested them to provide assistance to the newly displaced people.

A needs assessment of the displaced people was carried out at the three school locations on the same day. The preliminary findings indicate the need to organize and redistribute IDPs into five locations as the gathering points are congested. There is a need for safe water provision and latrines, as well as the establishment of temporary health units inside the IDP locations. The National Health Insurance Fund (NHI) in Blue Nile is committed to provide health staff and medicines, while the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) has provided volunteers, eight people in each health unit. Each location will be served by two medical doctors, two pharmacists, one nurse, one medical assistant, and two lab technicians. Reproductive health and nutrition partners will establish units in each location. Medical teams have referred three women in labor to Ed Damazine, they delivered normally with one complicated delivery (postpartum bleeding). Local NGOs are providing hot meals to the IDPs in those locations.

Health sector partners have provided one trauma kit enough to treat 100 trauma cases. In addition, three more trauma kits (for 300 trauma cases), trauma supplies for 50 cases, three rapid response kits, and three interagency emergency health kits (medicines enough for about 30,000 treatments) will be dispatched shortly. These supplies are being delivered to the FMoH to be sent to Blue Nile. Requests have also been received to expand the field capacity of Damazine hospital (tents, medicines, surgical supplies, and outpatient treatment capacity) to cope with the growing caseload.

On 19 July, the members of the Area Humanitarian Country Team (AHCT) convened and agreed to deploy a humanitarian team to Ar Rusayris to conduct a rapid assessment. The AHCT team discussed humanitarian response for IDPs in Ed Damazine town.