The United Nations has issued a stark warning about Sudan’s rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation, as intensified fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continues to drive mass displacement, health crises, and mounting civilian casualties.
According to UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, civilians in North Darfur’s El Fasher city and the Abu Shouk camp for displaced people are being subjected to daily artillery shelling, particularly during the night, resulting in growing reports of deaths and injuries.
In South Kordofan, renewed clashes in Dibebad forced nearly 2,800 people—mainly women and children—to flee, while thousands more have arrived in Dabbah locality in Northern State, escaping violence from other conflict zones such as Khartoum and West Kordofan. Humanitarian access remains severely restricted, particularly in areas like Kadugli, where the situation is described as “very seriously deteriorated.”
Amid the violence, Sudan is also battling a cholera outbreak, with suspected cases in Khartoum state rising by 80% in just two weeks, now exceeding 8,500. The World Health Organization has delivered some supplies, but the UN warns this is far from sufficient. Other prevalent illnesses include malaria, respiratory infections, and skin diseases—exacerbated by inadequate shelter, sanitation, and water access.
With the rainy season approaching, the UN and humanitarian partners have begun pre-positioning supplies in strategic storage hubs in Darfur, but urgent funding and unfettered access are still lacking.
Meanwhile, drone warfare has intensified. On Tuesday, a drone believed to belong to the RSF struck a public transport station in Al-Rahad, North Kordofan, killing at least three and injuring 18. In a separate incident, an RSF drone targeted a fuel depot in Kosti, White Nile State, causing significant damage and igniting a fire visible for miles. Civil defense teams responded swiftly, containing the blaze and minimizing losses.
Local officials condemned the attacks. White Nile Governor Qamar al-Din Mohamed Fadl described them as desperate acts aimed at disrupting essential services. Military officials say the RSF has increasingly relied on drone strikes to slow down the SAF’s operations in the Kordofan region, where the army is trying to regain control of key cities, including El Fasher.
The ongoing civil conflict, now in its second year, has displaced over 13 million people and left large swathes of the country without access to health care, food, or education. In North Darfur alone, about 250,000 children have lost access to schooling since April 2023.
The United Nations has renewed its call for immediate, unimpeded humanitarian access and urgent international funding, warning that without swift action, Sudan risks plunging even deeper into one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.