At least 18 civilians were killed on Thursday in two villages in North Kordofan, western Sudan, during an attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to the Sudanese NGO Emergency Lawyers. The assault also left dozens injured. The Sudanese army had retaken this strategic area, near Umm Kuraydim, in February after nearly two years under RSF siege.
The NGO also reported cases of looting, assaults, and the abduction of young people. Since the outbreak of war in April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a brutal conflict between the regular army and the RSF, described by the UN as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis today.
In the west of the country, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in El-Fasher, capital of North Darfur. Besieged for over a year, the city is completely cut off. Aid convoys are blocked, markets are shut down, and food has become nearly impossible to obtain. A 100-kg sack of millet now sells for 11 million Sudanese pounds (around €1,600).
According to a local official from the Ministry of Health, quoted by AFP, at least 63 people, mostly women and children, have died from malnutrition in the span of a week. The true toll could be much higher, as many families bury loved ones without being able to reach hospitals.
In nearby displacement camps like Abu Shouk, famine is rampant: between five and seven children reportedly die each day. At the city’s main food center, a single bowl of porridge is now shared by seven people. Children show clear signs of severe malnutrition, and some food centers are resorting to grinding up animal feed residues meant for livestock.
The World Food Programme estimates that nearly 40% of children under five in El-Fasher suffer from acute malnutrition, 11% of them in its most severe form.
Compounding the crisis, Sudan is also battling a cholera outbreak, with nearly 100,000 cases recorded. Humanitarian aid remains largely inaccessible. The rainy season is worsening conditions in a country where nearly 25 million people face acute food insecurity.