UN ‘extremely concerned’ over escalating violence, worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan

HAMILTON, Canada

The UN on Friday expressed grave concern over deteriorating humanitarian conditions in parts of war-torn Sudan, warning that escalating violence is increasingly impacting civilians.

In a statement, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it “continues to be extremely concerned over the impact of escalating violence on civilians, particularly across the Kordofan region and in North Darfur State.”

“In South Kordofan State, the humanitarian situation in the besieged towns of Dilling and Kadugli has continued to deteriorate, with both locations increasingly cut off, supplies rapidly dwindling and prices of food and other essentials spiralling,” it said.

The UN agency further stated that access constraints and insecurity have left civilians facing growing hardship, as basic goods have become scarce and unaffordable.

Sudan has been mired in a raging conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, killing thousands of people and displacing millions of others.

The three Kordofan states — North, West, and South — have seen weeks of fierce fighting between the army and the RSF, prompting tens of thousands of people to flee.

Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five states in the western Darfur region, except for some northern parts of North Darfur that remain under army control. The army, in turn, holds most areas of the remaining 13 states in the southern, northern, eastern, and central parts of the North African country, including the capital, Khartoum.

• Kordofan
• Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
• Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
• Sudan