Sudan’s humanitarian crisis is worsening as violent clashes in Kordofan and Darfur leave hundreds dead, thousands displaced, and aid access increasingly restricted.
- The conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has intensified, causing immense humanitarian challenges.
- Regions such as Kordofan and Darfur face restricted humanitarian access and rampant destruction, exacerbating conditions for civilians.
- Aid agencies report difficulties in operations due to safety concerns and describe the crisis as one of the world’s worst displacements.
The conflict, rooted in a power struggle between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has claimed at least 40,000 lives since April 2023 and plunged the country into one of the world’s worst hunger and displacement crises.
In North Kordofan, over 450 civilians, including at least 35 children, were killed around the town of Bara during the weekend of July 12, according to the United Nations.
The RSF was blamed for at least 60 of these deaths starting July 10, with civil groups estimating as many as 300. A military airstrike that same week killed 11 members of a single family in Bara, while air raids in West Kordofan left at least 23 civilians dead and over two dozen injured.
Aid operations halted amid escalating insecurity
Kadry Furany of Mercy Corps described a dire situation where communities are trapped by shifting front lines, unable to flee or access lifesaving aid.
The organization has suspended operations in three of four localities, and access beyond Kadugli, South Kordofan’s capital, is now in serious doubt. Movement across the region is nearly impossible, and the need for a sustained humanitarian corridor is urgent.
One aid worker’s brother was killed in an attack on Um Seimima village on July 13, underscoring the personal toll on those trying to help.
Villages are being destroyed, and most humanitarian agencies cannot operate in the region. “It is a complete war zone,” said Mathilde Vu of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Darfur buckles under new displacement and disease
Fighting has pushed hundreds of people from Kordofan into Tawila, North Darfur, a region already overwhelmed by previous displacements from Zamzam Camp and Al Fasher. Since April, Tawila has taken in 379,000 displaced persons.
Those fleeing walk long distances with little food or water and sleep in the open. Measles has begun to spread in Zalingi, West Darfur, due to the influx.
In May alone, over 46,000 people were displaced from West Kordofan. In North Darfur, five children were killed by shelling in El Fasher, and flooding in Dar As Salam displaced 400 more between July 14 and 15. Cholera outbreaks, food insecurity, and continued violence are compounding the crisis.
“In Darfur, there’s been explicit targeting of civilians,” Vu said. “There’s been explicit execution.” Another aid worker added, “The situation is getting worse every day and that’s what war is.”
Fathia Olasupo
