More than 200,000 people have been newly displaced across Sudan’s Kordofan region since late last year as fighting intensified, the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration said on Wednesday. The warning came as repeated drone attacks disrupted power and water infrastructure in El Obeid, the region’s largest city.
The crisis is also being worsened by seasonal flooding in nearby North Darfur, where heavy rains in the Tawila area damaged nearly 1,350 homes and displaced more than 1,000 families, according to the IOM.
What is happening in El Obeid
El Obeid’s main power transformer has been hit in repeated fighting and drone attacks, the IOM said. Electricity is needed to pump water, operate hospitals and keep phone lines working, leaving residents facing disruption to essential services.
The army-held city has endured one of the longest sieges of Sudan’s war. The source report said drones belonging to the Rapid Support Forces have targeted army vehicles, oil tankers and cargo trucks on roads leading to El Obeid, while RSF forces remain south and west of the city and continue attacks on nearby villages.
Related coverage: Sudan army withdraws as RSF-led forces enter Kurmuk.
Where displacement is increasing
Displacement in the Sheikan district, which includes El Obeid, has risen by 25 percent over the past eight months, the IOM said. The organisation also recorded about 78,000 people fleeing their homes in Blue Nile state and roughly 18,000 displaced in West Darfur during the first half of August.
IOM Director General Amy Pope said families across Sudan were fleeing violence while losing access to water, electricity and healthcare, with destructive floods adding to the pressure. The agency described the combined effects of conflict, infrastructure damage and flooding as stretching families beyond their limits.
The wider humanitarian toll
Sudan’s war began in April 2023. The United Nations estimates that about 59,000 people have been killed and 8.6 million internally displaced, while more than 4.2 million have fled to neighbouring countries. Some 33.7 million people require humanitarian assistance.
More context: Covert documentation of RSF human rights abuses in Sudan’s Darfur region.
El Obeid’s population was estimated at 750,000 before the war, while authorities now estimate it has reached 3.4 million. Save the Children said nearly 39,000 children arrived in the city during the first six months of this year.
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