Sudan – Drone attacks and cholera outbreak exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Kordofan

Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, said during the daily press conference that reports from North Kordofan indicate continued drone strikes, including an attack targeting a water truck in Hamrat al-Sheikh, which led to civilian casualties and further disrupted access to basic water supplies.

Dujarric pointed out that the disruption of these services comes at a time when cholera continues to spread throughout Kordofan. He said that humanitarian partners reported on Wednesday a suspected case of cholera in the city of El Obeid, where ongoing drone attacks have led to a severe water shortage, adding that the water supply currently only covers 20 percent of the city’s needs.

He stressed that the United Nations and its partners are continuing to respond to the cholera outbreak, noting that the World Health Organization reported that cholera response supplies had been previously stored in the city of El Obeid.

Allocating $4 million to white

Regarding the broader humanitarian response, Dujarric said that the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has already allocated more than $4 million through the Sudan Humanitarian Fund to UN partners, with the aim of providing essential relief assistance to communities in El Obeid.

He explained that this funding will support several areas, including food security, nutrition, health care, water and sanitation, in addition to other services.

In South Kordofan, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Tuesday that health supplies had been delivered to the city of Abu Jubaiha, to support emergency and routine health care services for about 240,000 people in the region.

Dujarric renewed the United Nations’ thanks to donors for their continued support for the humanitarian response in Sudan, stressing the need to increase funding urgently, in a timely manner and with greater flexibility.

He pointed out that Sudan’s humanitarian response plan for 2026 is still less than a third funded, as it has so far received $930 million out of about $2.9 billion requested.

The Secretary-General’s envoy concludes a visit to Chad

In a related context, the United Nations spokesman announced that Beka Haavisto, the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan, concluded his visit to Chad, where he met with the Prime Minister and a number of members of the government, including the Ministers of Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs.

Dujarric explained that the discussions focused on the growing security challenges associated with the conflict, and stressed Chad’s readiness to continue to play a constructive role in supporting efforts aimed at reaching a peaceful solution to the conflict.

He added that during his visit to the city of Adre, located on the border with Sudan, Havesto heard direct testimonies from Sudanese refugee women and other refugees, and also met with humanitarian workers there.

The Personal Envoy expressed his appreciation for the continued support provided by Chad to Sudanese refugees, and called on the authorities to facilitate the organization of Sudanese national examinations for students stranded in refugee camps, as they did last year.