Humanitarian crisis worsens at shelter for civilians fleeing Sudan's civil war

The humanitarian situation in Sudan's El Obeid and two camps on its outskirts is deteriorating, as people uprooted by fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue to pour in from surrounding rural areas.

According to the United Nations, more than 15,000 families have arrived in the city since mid-July, bringing the total arrivals in the first half of the year to over 200,000 people, based on government figures cited by Save the Children.

“The situation is very harsh and getting worse as El Obeid receives internally displaced persons (IDPs) daily… The city is incredibly overcrowded,” said Maryam, a humanitarian volunteer who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons. Those arriving walk, carrying almost nothing, she said: “They lack food and are certainly traumatized.”

El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, was home to about 500,000 people before the war broke out more than three years ago. While many newcomers have been absorbed into the city, tens of thousands of others live in two main tent camps. Satellite data analysis by the Yale Humanitarian Research Laboratory shows that 800 new tents appeared at one of the camps between August 4 and 25.

“During my visit, I saw 450 people from surrounding villages arrive just that morning,” said Paul Byars, Sudan country director for the Danish Refugee Council, who was in El Obeid last week. “The authorities' estimate is accurate, 85% of them are women and children. Most men stayed behind because this is the only time for farming.”

The civil war erupted in Sudan's capital Khartoum, about 400 km northeast of El Obeid, on April 15, 2023, when a power struggle between the army and the RSF escalated into armed conflict. Since then, about 11.3 million people have been displaced, more than one-fifth of the population. Some areas, including El Obeid and its surroundings, face the risk of famine.

Estimates of the death toll in the war range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. More than 10,000 people are believed to have been killed by the RSF in El Fasher during two days when the force took the city in Darfur, western Sudan, in October 2025 after an 18-month siege.

A series of RSF drone attacks on El Obeid and nearby areas in June prompted the UN to warn that the city could face a repeat of what happened in El Fasher. The number of attacks has since declined. The army also recaptured a key route north to Khartoum in late July, at least partially lifting the threat of encirclement. However, drone strikes continue to cause civilian casualties, while violence remains widespread in surrounding areas, driving people toward the city.

Recently, volunteers in El Obeid have noted more "double-tap" drone attacks, where a second drone follows the first to target rescuers at the scene, Maryam said. "It's hard, very hard to live like this, hearing the sound of a drone hitting somewhere. It's very worrying."

Sudan's civil war is now dominated by drones, accounting for half of all violent incidents, up from 4% when the war began, according to Nohad Eltayeb, Sudan analyst at conflict monitor Acled. Both sides use drones, but the RSF's use has become more erratic since a US-Iran war began disrupting supply routes in February, she said. "They rely on fewer but highly targeted attacks."

From the start of the year to now, there have been 322 violent incidents affecting civilians in the wider Kordofan region, compared to 388 in all of 2025, Acled data shows. While the RSF is responsible for half of those incidents, the SAF has also caused civilian casualties. On August 10, the army and an allied militia killed 5 civilians and wounded 10 about 100 km northeast of El Obeid, according to the NGO Emergency Lawyers.

Due to threats to delivery trucks, food prices have soared. In North Kordofan in July, according to the World Food Programme, a litre of groundnut oil cost 17,000 Sudanese pounds (about £21), up from 13,000 pounds in June and 7,700 pounds a year earlier. The prices of flour, goat, and mutton have also more than doubled over the past year.

Meanwhile, El Obeid's electricity and water infrastructure has not fully recovered from the RSF drone attacks in June. Esperanza Santos, emergency coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières in Sudan, said the main water source north of the city was severely damaged and has not been repaired. Water pipes in the city were also affected, leaving both hospitals and IDP camps dependent on water trucks, but that supply is insufficient.

Conditions in the camps are also very poor, Santos said. "As for sanitation, it's very bad. There aren't enough latrines for the people—more than 100 people share one latrine. Basically, people defecate openly."

Maryam said local volunteers and she persist despite the hardships: "The situation is getting worse, but we try to stay united, keep our spirits up in the face of drone attacks and waves of displacement… We are living through this, hoping things will get better."