OCHA: ‘South Kordofan and the Blue Nile on the brink of catastrophe’

The United Nations has warned that South Kordofan and the Blue Nile region are “on the brink of catastrophe” as escalating violence worsens Sudan’s humanitarian crisis. In a statement yesterday, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, condemned reports of civilians, including women and children, being used as human shields in Kadugli.

She also raised alarm over civilian detentions, aid blockages, and mass mobilisation for conflict in Blue Nile.

“If the fighting continues, more people will be left without access to vital aid, human suffering will deepen, and more lives will be lost,” she said.

Sudan’s aid response is paralysed by a cash crisis after the Central Bank of Sudan introduced new banknotes, delaying $11.5 million in cash aid for 500,000 people and halting food distribution for over four million, according to OCHA’s latest Humanitarian Update.

In Khartoum, 1.5 million lack clean water due to infrastructure failures, fuelling cholera outbreaks in Karari locality in Omdurman, Khartoum North (Bahri), and Sharg El Nil (East Nile). Landmines and unexploded ordnance killed 17 civilians in El Gezira in January alone, with clearance efforts hampered by funding shortages.

Over 1 million students have missed exams since 2023. A delayed session saw only 250,000 out of 570,000 eligible students sit their exams, while plans for an alternative session in Chad were scrapped. A second round is scheduled for April.

Sudan faces the world’s worst displacement crisis, with 11.6 million internally displaced and more than three million fleeing abroad. Aid agencies struggle to keep up as funding gaps widen.

The UN’s 2025 humanitarian response plan seeks $4.2 billion to assist 20.9 million people, but only $240 million has been secured, which is just under six per cent.

With violence escalating and food insecurity deepening, the UN has urged all parties to allow safe aid access and uphold international humanitarian law.