Civilians across Sudan’s Kordofan region are enduring extreme hardship as conflict escalates, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Wednesday. Communities in Dilling and Kadugli in South Kordofan are effectively trapped in “siege conditions,” while sustained attacks in West Kordofan further threaten safety, UNICEF reports.
The situation remains dire in El Fasher, recently captured by militia fighters. UN relief chief Tom Fletcher described it as a “potential crime scene,” with civilians attempting to flee facing grave risks along unsafe routes. “Civilians wishing to flee must be afforded safe passage, and they must be able to access humanitarian assistance,” emphasized UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
Healthcare facilities have not been spared. WHO reported that most of Al-Nuhud Hospital in West Kordofan has been overrun, depriving communities of essential medical care. Since the conflict began in April 2023, 198 attacks on healthcare have killed over 1,700 health workers and patients and injured more than 400.
Children are particularly affected. In North Darfur’s Tawila, overcrowded displacement sites and limited services are fueling malnutrition and disease. UNICEF has registered nearly 950 separated or unaccompanied children in the region. White Nile State is facing alarming child malnutrition, with over 30 per cent underweight and one in three stunted in El Jabalain, and 13 per cent acute malnutrition in Tendelti.
Despite efforts to deliver aid—including providing 132,000 litres of water daily and psychosocial support for over 3,000 children—Dujarric stressed that the humanitarian response plan for Sudan is only 35 per cent funded. “We urge donors to step up and support the millions in dire need,” he said.
