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El Obeid disaster warning
UNICEF representative Shildon Yit warned that El-Obeid in North Kordofan state and surrounding areas face "a huge disaster that is worsening day by day" as humanitarian needs rise and malnutrition rates increase alongside a cholera outbreak and ongoing fighting.
“a huge disaster that is worsening day by day”
Yit said the scale of malnutrition is increasing because of the difficulty obtaining clean water and rising prices of basic goods, adding that residents "have become increasingly ill and are no longer able to absorb nutrients."
He said an increasing number of residents are leaving El-Obeid, with those who can depart often heading toward Khartoum, while humanitarian aid has begun to reach the city but delivery remains "fraught with extremely high risks" due to repeated attacks on the main road leading to it.
UNICEF also warned that continued weak humanitarian response could lead to further deterioration of the health situation, especially for children, as risks of malnutrition and diseases linked to the lack of basic services rise.
Children killed, cholera spreads
UNICEF announced at least 23 children killed and 25 others injured in North Kordofan during the past two months since fighting around El-Obeid escalated in late May 2026.
The latest incident occurred on Friday, July 24, in the Barbar area south of the city, where reports said four children aged between 8 and 16 were killed, raising the number of children killed or injured in July alone to at least eight.
Yit warned that large-scale displacement could contribute to the spread of cholera to other areas, as he expressed concern about the ongoing cholera outbreak in Kordofan.
At the national level, reports indicate that at least 330 children were killed or injured during the first six months of the current year, while the UN describes Sudan as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises amid a sharp decline in aid delivery.
Road control and aid risks
After days of attacks across North Kordofan state, the Sudanese army, which has been fighting the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023, last Sunday succeeded in weakening the RSF's grip on the area and the outskirts of El-Obeid by regaining control of the strategic road leading to Khartoum.
UNICEF said Yit expressed shock at the widening gap between the scale of needs and the response provided, describing the scale of the crisis in Sudan as "shocking" given the millions of displaced people.
In the same warning, Yett said protection needs are "huge," pointing especially to child recruitment and the troubling rise in cases of rape and gender-based violence.
Yit criticized weak international attention to the Sudan crisis, warning that "if we do not give it the attention it deserves, it will continue to worsen and spread across borders toward Europe and other countries."
