Sudanese trek through mountains to escape clashes

For eight days, Sudanese farmer Ibrahim Hussein led his family through treacherous terrain to flee the fighting in southern Kordofan -- the latest and most volatile front in the country’s 31-month-old conflict.

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“We left everything behind,” said the 47-year-old, who escaped with his family of seven from Keiklek, near the South Sudanese border.

“Our animals and our unharvested crops -- all of it.”

Hussein spoke to AFP from Kosti, an army-controlled city in White Nile state, around 300km south of Khartoum.

“For most of the war, we lived in peace and looked after our animals,” Hussein said.

“But when the RSF came close, we were afraid fighting would break out. So we left, most of the way on foot.”

He took his family through the rocky spine of the Nuba Mountains and the surrounding valley, passing through both paramilitary and army checkpoints.