People pray for the victims of a drone strike in El Obeid, North Kordofan State, Sudan, January 12, 2026.
The humanitarian situation in El Obeid, the capital of Sudan’s North Kordofan State, is deteriorating rapidly as fighting and military restrictions around the strategically important city threaten to cut thousands of civilians off from essential supplies and humanitarian assistance.
El Obeid occupies a critical position at the crossroads of routes linking Khartoum, Kordofan and Darfur, making it one of Sudan’s most important economic and military centres.
The city is also a major corridor for the movement of commercial goods and humanitarian aid to communities affected by the country’s prolonged conflict.
However, residents are now facing severe shortages of clean water, medicines and other essential supplies, while health facilities struggle to cope with increasing numbers of patients and dwindling medical resources.
Plan International has warned that El Obeid is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe, citing a cholera outbreak, a severe shortage of drinking water and deteriorating health services.
The organisation says the city is hosting about 105,000 displaced people, placing additional pressure on already overstretched infrastructure.
According to the organisation, cases of acute diarrhoea and dehydration are being reported daily.
Damage to health facilities and sewage systems, compounded by heavy rainfall, has created conditions favourable for the spread of waterborne diseases.
The situation has been further complicated by shortages of intravenous fluids and other medical supplies, while health workers face mounting pressure as they attempt to treat the growing number of patients.
Humanitarian concerns have also been raised over the safety of women and children.
Reports indicate that women and girls travelling to collect water have faced incidents of sexual violence, while the deteriorating food and health situation is raising fears of increased deaths from disease and malnutrition, particularly among children.
The crisis has been compounded by restrictions on movement around the city.
Reports from Sudanese media outlets allege that army forces and allied militias have established a tight cordon around El Obeid, restricting civilians and displaced people from leaving.
According to the reports, residents attempting to leave the city have allegedly faced threats of arrest on accusations of collaboration with enemy forces, while there are also allegations of extrajudicial killings, abductions and arbitrary detention.
Sudanese newspaper Hafariyat has reported alleged cases of rape and sexual assault, as well as the existence of secret detention facilities. The reports could not be independently verified.
The restrictions have also reportedly disrupted the movement of commercial vehicles and humanitarian supplies, contributing to shortages of food and medicines and driving up prices.
Humanitarian officials have repeatedly stressed the need to protect civilians and ensure safe passage for people seeking to leave conflict-affected areas.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has warned against attacks on civilians and called for safe corridors to allow people to move freely and seek safety.
There are also allegations of forced recruitment of civilians in El Obeid by the al-Baraa ibn Malik Battalion, a militia allied with the Sudanese army.
Sudanese reports claim that civilians have been recruited and potentially exposed to frontline fighting, raising concerns over violations of international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians during the conflict.
Other reports have alleged that weapons described as prohibited have been transported into the city and stored at civilian facilities, including buildings associated with the University of Kordofan and other locations in western parts of El Obeid.
The allegations, which could not be independently verified, have raised concerns over the use of educational and civilian infrastructure for military purposes.
Such practices could expose civilians and public facilities to increased risks if fighting reaches the affected areas.
The developments come amid an intense information war surrounding El Obeid, with rival sides presenting conflicting accounts of the security situation and the threat of an impending attack.
Observers say the growing military and humanitarian crisis risks turning the city’s civilian population into a major casualty of the wider conflict, particularly if restrictions on movement and access to essential services continue.
Sudan has been engulfed in war since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
The conflict has displaced millions of people and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
With El Obeid serving as a vital link between Sudan’s central regions, Kordofan and Darfur, further deterioration in the city could have consequences well beyond its borders, disrupting humanitarian access and placing hundreds of thousands of civilians at even greater risk.
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