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Kordofan displacement surges
More than 200,000 people have been newly displaced across Sudan’s Kordofan region as fighting intensified since late last year, the United Nations said through the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
“More than 200,000 people have been newly displaced across Sudan’s Kordofan region”
The IOM said continued drone attacks targeted critical water and electricity infrastructure in el-Obeid, the region’s biggest city, knocking out electricity needed to pump water, run hospitals and keep phone lines working.
In el-Obeid, the IOM said displacement in Sheikan district, which includes the city of el-Obeid, surged 25 percent over the past eight months.
The UN also said seasonal flooding in nearby North Darfur state compounded the displacement crisis, with heavy rains in the Tawila area damaging nearly 1,350 homes and displacing more than 1,000 families.
Al Jazeera’s Almigdad Alruhaid described a road leading to el-Obeid where drones belonging to the RSF targeted army vehicles, oil tankers and cargo trucks.
IOM warning and camp strain
IOM Director General Amy Pope warned, "The warning signs are impossible to ignore," as families fled violence and lost access to water, electricity and healthcare while facing destructive floods.
Pope said, "Across Sudan, families are fleeing violence, losing access to water, electricity and healthcare," and now faced "the added burden of destructive floods."
Al Jazeera reported that the latest wave of displacement pushed thousands of families toward Sudan’s North Kordofan capital, with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces attacking villages across the region.
The IOM said in West Darfur’s Sirba locality that displacement-spotting teams estimated on August 8 that 5,135 people had fled the ten villages in Sarba, and that the majority of affected households crossed the border into Chad.
The IOM also said the latest wave came after a similar incident on August 4, and that Bir Saliba lies north of El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur.
Humanitarian pressures widen
The UN said some 8.6 million people have been internally displaced in Sudan since the war began, while more than 4.2 million people have fled to neighbouring countries and some 33.7 million people require humanitarian assistance.
“Some 33.7 million people require humanitarian assistance, according to the UN.”
The IOM warned that intensified fighting and drone strikes on the main electricity transformer in El Obeid triggered prolonged power outages, disrupting water pumping, health facilities, and telecommunications.
In North Darfur, the IOM said heavy rains in the Tawila area destroyed or damaged nearly 1,350 homes last week and displaced over 1,000 families.
Al Jazeera reported that the RSF maintained position south and west of the city and continued attacking nearby villages, worsening the humanitarian situation in the region.
Save the Children said nearly 39,000 children arrived in the city of el-Obeid in the first six months of this year alone, underscoring the scale of needs as the displacement crisis deepens.