Aid group warns damage to water, power and health services raises disease risks as fighting intensifies in North Kordofan
By Bunmi Yekini
Intensifying drone strikes in and around the Sudanese city of El Obeid have disrupted water, electricity and healthcare services, worsening conditions for civilians in North Kordofan state, medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on Wednesday.
El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan and home to about 500,000 people, is also hosting around 100,000 people displaced by fighting elsewhere in Sudan, according to MSF. The aid group said the city lies less than 40 km (25 miles) from the frontline.
“The frontline is less than 40 kilometres away and there is a real sense of fear among people in El Obeid,” Liesbeth Aelbrecht, MSF’s emergency coordinator, said after a recent visit to the city.
MSF said drone strikes had increased in recent weeks, hitting schools, markets, fuel stations, water facilities and the city’s main power station, in addition to military targets. The attacks have reduced access to essential services and driven up the cost of fuel and transport, it said.
The aid group said fuel shortages had pushed gasoline prices to nearly $15 per litre, while residents were spending hours queuing for water as supplies dwindled.
Hospitals were operating under power rationing because of fuel shortages, threatening the provision of some life-saving services, while insecurity and transport costs were delaying referrals for critically ill patients, MSF said.
The charity also warned that the onset of the rainy season could increase the risk of cholera as access to clean water and sanitation deteriorates. Suspected cholera cases have already been reported in North Kordofan following an outbreak in neighbouring West Kordofan, it said.
Although buses continue to operate, MSF said it had not observed a large-scale exodus from El Obeid, as many residents either could not afford to leave or were reluctant to travel on roads that are frequently targeted by drone attacks.
Aelbrecht described conditions in camps for displaced people as particularly difficult, with overcrowding, inadequate sanitation and limited access to safe drinking water.
MSF said it had deployed an emergency team to expand access to clean water and support Sudan’s Ministry of Health in responding to suspected cholera cases. It said it was also preparing for the possibility of more people fleeing to neighbouring White Nile state if fighting escalates.
MSF called on both the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to protect civilians and ensure humanitarian agencies can continue delivering assistance.