Nairobi, December 8 (Darfur24)
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan has issued an urgent appeal as violence intensifies across the Kordofan region and armed groups impose sieges that have cut off entire cities from the outside world.
In a statement released Thursday, OCHA said it is “deeply alarmed” by repeated attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure — clear violations of international humanitarian law. The agency warned that the escalation is preventing families from accessing food, medicine, and other essential supplies, while blocking farmers from reaching their fields and markets.
These conditions, OCHA cautioned, are accelerating the spread of famine across the Kordofan states.
Communities in Dilling and Kadugli in South Kordofan remain trapped under siege, facing dire shortages of basic services and severe restrictions on movement. Famine-like conditions have already been reported in Kadugli. In West Kordofan’s Babanusa locality, humanitarian partners say attacks have continued in recent days.
Humanitarian agencies called on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians, medical personnel, and aid workers — particularly those fleeing besieged areas and local responders operating on the front lines. They urged the immediate end of sexual violence, abductions, and the recruitment of children, and stressed the obligation to safeguard hospitals, markets, displacement sites, and other civilian facilities.
Despite the dangerous conditions, humanitarian workers continue to deliver lifesaving assistance to nearly 1.1 million people in the Kordofan region. Relief organizations stressed that aid personnel need safe, unhindered access to affected communities, along with adequate resources to scale up the response and prevent further loss of life.