Sudan crisis deepens as more than 200,000 flee fighting in Kordofan
More than 200,000 people have been newly displaced across Sudan’s Kordofan region as fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has intensified, the United Nations said.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned that the humanitarian situation is worsening as drone attacks damage critical water and electricity infrastructure in el-Obeid, the largest city in the region, Al Jazeera reported.
The warning came as seasonal flooding in neighboring North Darfur added another layer of pressure to communities already affected by the conflict.
“The warning signs are impossible to ignore,” IOM Director General Amy Pope said, warning that families across Sudan are fleeing violence while losing access to essential services and facing destructive floods.
Sudan’s war erupted in 2023 after a power struggle between the country’s army and the RSF. The conflict has killed at least 59,000 people and forced millions from their homes.
According to the IOM, displacement in Sheikan district, which includes el-Obeid, has increased by 25% over the past eight months.
Drone attacks disrupt water and electricity
The humanitarian situation in el-Obeid has been further complicated by attacks on essential infrastructure.
The IOM said RSF drone strikes targeting the city’s main power transformer have repeatedly disrupted electricity needed to pump water, operate hospitals and maintain communications.
El-Obeid, which was home to about 750,000 people before the war, has seen its population swell dramatically as people flee fighting elsewhere.
Local authorities now estimate that around 3.4 million people are in the city, according to the Sudan Tribune.
Save the Children said nearly 39,000 children arrived in el-Obeid during the first six months of this year alone.
Other parts of Sudan are also experiencing major displacement.
The IOM estimates that around 78,000 people have fled their homes in Blue Nile state, while approximately 18,000 people were displaced in West Darfur during the first half of August.
In North Darfur, heavy seasonal rains in the Tawila area damaged nearly 1,350 homes, forcing more than 1,000 families from their homes.
Sudan’s displacement crisis continues to grow
The UN estimates that approximately 8.6 million people have been internally displaced across Sudan since the war began.
Another 4.2 million people have fled to neighboring countries, while around 33.7 million people require humanitarian assistance.
“The combined impact of conflict, infrastructure damage and flooding is stretching thousands of families beyond their limits,” Pope said.
El-Obeid has endured one of the longest sieges of the conflict and remains under the control of Sudanese army forces. The RSF continues to hold positions south and west of the city and has continued attacking nearby villages.
Reporting from a major road leading toward el-Obeid, Al Jazeera correspondent Almigdad Alruhaid said RSF drones have targeted army vehicles, oil tankers and cargo trucks along the route.
The combination of ongoing fighting, attacks on vital infrastructure and severe weather is deepening the humanitarian emergency, with hundreds of thousands of people now displaced across Kordofan and millions more affected nationwide.
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