Over 200,000 people newly displaced in Sudan’s Kordofan as fighting rages

Sudan's Kordofan faces worsening humanitarian crisis despite reopened supply route.

Key points

• While in West Darfur, concerning 18, 000 others were displaced in the first half of August, in Blue Nile state, some 78, 000 individuals have additionally fled their homes, the IOM noted.
• While 8.6 million residents have been internally displaced, since the war began in April 2023, an estimated 59, 000 individuals have been killed.
• Meanwhile in North Darfur, heavy rains in the Tawila area have damaged almost 1, 350 homes, displacing more than 1, 000 families, the UN organisation went on.
• El Obeid had a population of 750, 000 individuals before the war, but authorities now estimate the population has reached 3.4 million, according to the Sudan Tribune.
• Save the Children, a humanitarian group, remarked that almost 39, 000 children have arrived here in the first six months of this year.

As continued drone attacks target critical water and electricity infrastructure in the region's biggest city, El Obeid, more than 200, 000 individuals have been newly displaced throughout Sudan's Kordofan region due to intensified fighting since late last year, the United Nations has noted.

In practice, the warning from the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) came on Wednesday as seasonal flooding in nearby North Darfur state additionally compounded the displacement crisis.

"The warning signs are impossible to ignore, " remarked IOM Director General Amy Pope. "Across Sudan, families are fleeing violence, losing access to water, electricity and healthcare, and now facing the added burden of destructive floods."

According to the IOM, displacement in the Sheikan district. It includes the city of El Obeid, has surged 25 percent over the past eight months.

In El Obeid, repeated fighting and drone attacks on the city's main power transformer have knocked out electricity needed to pump water, run hospitals and keep phone lines working, the organisation remarked.

"Sudan is one of the world's largest displacement crises, " Pope remarked. "The combined impact of conflict, infrastructure damage and flooding is stretching thousands of families beyond their limits."

While 8.6 million residents have been internally displaced, since the war began in April 2023, an estimated 59, 000 individuals have been killed. More than 4.2 million individuals have additionally fled to neighbouring countries. Some 33.7 million individuals require humanitarian assistance, according to the UN.

Reporting from one of the main roads leading to El Obeid, Al Jazeera's Almigdad Alruhaid described a route where drones belonging to the Rapid Backing Forces (RSF) paramilitary have targeted army vehicles, oil tankers and cargo trucks.

In practice, the Sudanese army-held city has endured one of the longest sieges of the war, but the RSF "still maintains position south and west to the city and still continues attacking nearby villages", Alruhaid remarked, adding that this was further worsening the humanitarian situation in the region.

Taken together, the developments around over 200, 000 people newly displaced in Sudan's Kordofan as fighting rages point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.