UN Issues Warning Over Rising Bloodshed in Sudan

(MENAFN) The United Nations humanitarian agencies issued a stark warning Tuesday over escalating violence in Sudan, focusing on deadly assaults in North Kordofan State.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), attacks from Thursday to Sunday in villages near Bara have reportedly claimed at least 300 lives, including children and pregnant women. In addition to the fatalities, numerous individuals sustained injuries, with many homes ransacked and burned, forcing a wave of displacement.

Efforts to verify the full scale of casualties are being hampered by severed communication networks, OCHA reported.

The agency also expressed deep concern about renewed shelling in El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, warning that the bombardment is intensifying fear and instability in the region.

In West Kordofan State, assaults on the villages of Al-Fulah and Abu Zabad reportedly resulted in over 20 deaths. The violence notably involved an airstrike targeting a school sheltering displaced families, disrupting ongoing humanitarian operations.

"These incidents are yet another tragic reminder of the relentless toll the conflict is taking on civilians across Sudan," OCHA stated. The agency underscored that civilians and civilian infrastructure—such as schools, homes, shelters, and humanitarian assets—must never be deliberately targeted. It urged all conflict parties to fully comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law.

Humanitarian workers also report that many fleeing the North Kordofan attacks and the siege in El Fasher, North Darfur State, are seeking refuge in other parts of Sudan, including Northern State.

In Northern State’s Ad-Dabbah locality, humanitarian partners have documented the arrival of more than 3,000 displaced people since June. While some newcomers have received food aid, the ongoing influx is straining already limited resources.

Adding to the crisis, the rainy season is compounding hardships for displaced populations. On Sunday, heavy rains and strong winds devastated shelters and food stores for approximately 2,700 displaced individuals at two sites in Gedaref, eastern Sudan. A rapid assessment by OCHA and its partners found that most affected families want to return home but require assistance to do so.

The International Organization for Migration has reported that over 1.3 million people have returned to their places of origin across Sudan since November 2024, with the majority resettling in Aj Jazirah, Sennar, and Khartoum states. However, returnees are confronting deteriorating living conditions and acute shortages of basic services.

OCHA reiterated a call for urgent and expanded humanitarian support to reach millions of vulnerable Sudanese, noting that this year’s Sudan humanitarian response plan remains severely underfunded at just 23 percent.

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