Sudan: Children dying amid lack of essential supplies and displacement in El Obeid

Health sources in El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan, report alarming child mortality rates owing to lack of essential supplies. The city has had no electricity for more than a week, and drinking water has been in short supply for a month, which has severely impacted public health. Essential supply vehicles are often intercepted by armed bandits. People displaced from Khartoum have flocked to El Obeid, but many shelters have closed owing to lack of aid.

Health sources in El Obeid, North Kordofan, have reported alarming mortality rates among children, as well as oxygen-dependent and kidney patients. The North Kordofan capital has been grappling with a power outage for more than a week, while there has been a shortage of drinking water for more than a month, severely impacting public health.

The dire situation has led to a critical shortage of life-saving medications, particularly insulin and immunomodulators essential for kidney transplant cases. Local activists have raised concerns over the continued siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has obstructed aid delivery to El Obeid for more than 20 days.

According to sources, daily power cuts lasting 14 hours and water scarcity have disrupted dialysis treatments, and “patients receive only one session per week, down from the usual two”. When civil administrations attempted to address the electricity problem on Tuesday, their efforts were reportedly impeded by the RSF, who “intercepted and pillaged their vehicle en route”.

The state’s stock share of food and medicine, held in Kosti, White Nile state, has been inaccessible for more than 20 days owing to RSF control over the El Obeid-El Rahad road. The security situation within and around El Obeid remains precarious, with the RSF intercepting vehicles carrying essential supplies and conducting identity checks. Reports of armed robberies have also surfaced.

Shelters close

El Obeid experiences an influx of displaced people from Khartoum, despite four shelters being forced to close ten days ago owing to the lack of aid available to support the displaced population.

These shelters previously housed more than 1,000 people who have now been scattered across neighborhoods. The situation compelled many from western neighbourhoods to seek refuge in the eastern parts of the city, highlighting the growing displacement crisis in El Obeid.