EL OBEID: The United Nations children’s agency has warned that the humanitarian situation in El Obeid and surrounding areas of Sudan’s North Kordofan state is deteriorating rapidly as the war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces continues.

UNICEF Representative in Sudan Sheldon Yett described the situation as a “massive disaster that keeps getting worse,” pointing to rising malnutrition, spreading disease and continuing displacement.

Yett said limited access to safe drinking water and the steep rise in the prices of essential goods had left vulnerable families increasingly unable to meet their basic needs.

The worsening health of the population has also made people more vulnerable to multiple illnesses and reduced their ability to absorb essential nutrients.

UNICEF reported in late July that at least 23 children had been killed and 25 injured in North Kordofan during two months of intensified fighting around El Obeid.

The agency warned that children are bearing the heaviest consequences of the conflict, whether through direct attacks, hunger, disease or the collapse of essential services.

The Sudanese army recently announced that it had regained control of the strategic highway connecting El Obeid with Khartoum following several days of military operations.

The development allowed some humanitarian supplies to enter the area, but Yett warned that the road remained vulnerable to repeated attacks, making aid deliveries dangerous and unpredictable.

Many El Obeid residents continue to leave whenever an opportunity becomes available, with large numbers travelling toward Khartoum in search of greater safety and better access to services.

Needs Far Exceed the Response

UNICEF has expressed concern about the continuing spread of cholera across the Kordofan region, warning that repeated displacement could carry the disease into additional areas.

The World Health Organization has also warned that Sudan’s cholera outbreak could worsen because of the conflict, the rainy season and severely restricted access to healthcare.

Yett said his latest visit to the region, conducted in mid-July, was his second in approximately two months. Conditions had deteriorated further since his previous visit.

He said the most alarming issue was the widening gap between the scale of humanitarian need and the resources available to respond.

Aid continues to reach some communities, but only in limited quantities and under extremely difficult security and operating conditions.

After more than 30 years of responding to humanitarian emergencies around the world, Yett described Sudan as one of the most complex crises he had encountered.

He pointed to the enormous scale of displacement, the pressure on cities receiving displaced families and the severe shortage of humanitarian organizations and personnel working on the ground.

Children remain the most vulnerable group, with protection needs reaching unprecedented levels.

Yett also warned of child recruitment into armed groups, along with increasing reports of rape and gender-based violence. These abuses have deepened the suffering of civilians, particularly women and children.

He criticized the lack of international attention given to Sudan, warning that continued neglect would allow the crisis to grow and that its consequences would not remain within Sudan’s borders.

One of the World’s Worst Humanitarian Crises

Since war erupted between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023, tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes.

Some remain displaced inside Sudan, while others have sought refuge in neighboring countries already struggling to accommodate the growing number of arrivals.

The United Nations describes Sudan as one of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies, with conflict, hunger and disease threatening the lives of millions.

In El Obeid, the problem is not that no aid is arriving. It is that the assistance reaching the city does not come close to matching the scale of the disaster.