Displaced Sudanese in Wad Madani groan over lack of cash

Some Sudanese people who had fled home due to the fighting that erupted in Khartoum last month, ended up living in a center for the displaced in Wad Madani, some 186 kilometers south of Khartoum.

The Shaimaa shelter accommodates families through youth-led initiatives that have spread information online to help people find a place to stay.

Fatima Adam, who left Khartoum, said she was grateful for her safety but added it was "not the same as having your own home."

Worsening tensions between military rivals in Sudan exploded into open fighting last month.

The fighting displaced more than 1.3 million people, the U.N. migration agency said last Wednesday.

For some of the Sudanese displaced in Wad Madani, access to cash has become increasingly difficult.

Mortada Yassin, a man displaced from Khartoum, said he had to visit multiple bank branches to find one that was open.

Banks were also severely overcrowded, added Yassin who was finally able to withdraw some cash after a long wait.

The fighting erupted on April 15 after months of escalating tensions between the military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces commanded by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The conflict derailed Sudanese hopes of restoring the country’s fragile transition to democracy, which was disrupted by a military coup led by the two generals in October 2021.