"We reached a point where the dead were considered fortunate," says one woman who fled the siege on Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan State, earlier this month. "Since the living were the ones who suffered under this unbearable reality."

Surrounded by two forces, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Army, civilians residing in the army-controlled towns of Dilling and Kadugli were struggling to survive under untenable market prices and constant shelling. A civil servant's entire monthly salary would cover a bag of sugar. Shelling and drone strikes made any movements within the towns perilous. The Ayin Network has conducted exclusive interviews with those who managed to escape the fighting and recount their experiences.

While Kadugli and Dilling residents are witnessing some relief following the army's lifting of the siege at the end of January and the beginning of February, drone attacks continue in several areas across the state.