Sudan: Fighting Deepens Needs and Fuels Further Displacement in Sudan

Escalating Displacement and Infrastructure Attacks

Intensifying fighting in Sudan has displaced at least another 200,000 people since late 2025, while destructive seasonal floods are compounding the massive humanitarian emergency there, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday. The agency warned that relief access has been disrupted further by ongoing delays in global supply chains, particularly through the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz, adding pressure to an already fragile response.

Across Sudan today, a total of 8.6 million people have fled the war since it began in April 2023. Significant numbers continue to shelter in neighbouring countries, as fighting remains active in many areas between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In North Kordofan state, heavy fighting and drone strikes on El Obeid city's main electrical transformer have triggered prolonged power outages, disrupting water pumping, health facilities and telecommunications. Displacement has surged by 25 per cent in Sheikan locality over the past eight months, with more than 200,000 people newly displaced across the wider Kordofan region since late 2025, the IOM reported.

An Al Jazeera correspondent on the ground, Almigdad Alruhaid, reported that RSF drones have targeted army vehicles, oil tankers and cargo trucks on a road leading to El Obeid. El Obeid had a population of 750,000 before the war, but authorities now estimate it has reached 3.4 million. Save the Children said that nearly 39,000 children have arrived in El Obeid in the first six months of this year.

Floods and Displacement Across Darfur and Blue Nile

Seasonal flooding has compounded the crisis. In Blue Nile, clashes in and near Geissan displaced 7,800 people, with some crossing into Ethiopia. In West Darfur, nearly 18,000 people were displaced in the first half of August. Heavy rainfall in North Darfur destroyed or damaged nearly 1,350 shelters in Tawila's camps last week, displacing more than 1,000 families. Additional flooding in Kabkabiya and Shangil Tobaya in North Darfur forced dozens of families into temporary shelters.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) separately reported that fighting in West Darfur's Sirba locality has displaced roughly 18,000 people from more than 20 villages since last week, most fleeing across the border into Chad.

IOM Director General Amy Pope stressed that repeated attacks on vital infrastructure have stretched families to their limits. "The warning signs are impossible to ignore. Across Sudan, families are fleeing violence, losing access to water, electricity, and healthcare, and now facing the added burden of destructive floods," she said. "Without urgent action to protect civilians and restore essential services, the suffering will deepen."

Humanitarian Response and Funding Gaps

The IOM reported delivering 1,750 metric tons of humanitarian supplies, including 17,750 hygiene kits and 850 tents, directly benefiting 110,750 people. Meanwhile, the UN and partners have provided two million litres of drinking water to about 133,000 people in El Obeid.

However, funding shortfalls are hampering the response. Sudan's $3 billion humanitarian appeal is only 40 per cent funded, with $1.2 billion received so far this year. Funding shortfalls have forced the closure of three health facilities in Central Darfur, cutting off some 75,000 displaced people from essential care.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has called for greater international support. IFRC Special Envoy for Sudan, Derk Segaar, said Sudan is "one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, yet it is also one of its most overlooked." He noted that while some aid is trickling into Kordofan and Darfur, Khartoum has been devastated, with millions lacking reliable electricity, clean water and healthcare. Cholera, malnutrition and floods pose additional risks.

Segaar said 35 million people require humanitarian assistance, more than 9 million are internally displaced, and fighting has driven 4.5 million people out of Sudan. The UN has reported similar figures, with more than 30 million people in need of aid and over nine million displaced within the country.

Military Developments and Diplomatic Efforts

Sudanese Army Lieutenant-General Yasser al-Atta said the military aims to eliminate the RSF before the end of the year. "Before the end of this year, there will not be a single Janjaweed fighter," he said. The army and allied forces have seized Bara, Jabra al-Sheikh, Um Sayala and other positions along a key road connecting Omdurman with El Obeid in North Kordofan.

Sudan's three Kordofan states have witnessed continued fighting between the army and the RSF since October 2025.

Diplomatic efforts continue. Representatives from five international organisations, including the African Union, IGAD, the European Union and the League of Arab States, held talks with Sudanese political parties on Monday, according to Al Jazeera. Pekka Haavisto, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Sudan, continues to engage the parties, having been able to have meetings with both sides. He is also talking with RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo to discuss reducing escalation. The Envoy continues to work with the African Union, the League of Arab States, and IGAD to achieve a full cessation of hostilities and progress in negotiations.

OCHA called on all parties to protect civilians and to facilitate rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access.

Perspectives

• UN and humanitarian agencies: IOM, OCHA and IFRC underscore the severity of the crisis, highlighting displacement, infrastructure damage, and funding shortfalls, and call for urgent international support and civilian protection.
• Sudanese military: Army leadership expresses confidence in achieving a decisive military victory over the RSF by the end of the year, framing the conflict as a campaign to eliminate the rival force.
• Diplomatic actors: UN envoy and regional organisations pursue negotiations between the parties, aiming for a cessation of hostilities and political progress.