Al-Raqibat, January 13 (Darfur24)
Residents of Al-Raqibat in East Darfur State, near the border with South Sudan, are facing a severe drinking water shortage, with prices soaring to about 12,000 Sudanese pounds per barrel.
Locals called on the state’s Drinking Water Authority to intervene urgently, warning that the crisis is worsening daily and that their access to potable water remains limited.
Hawa Ibrahim, a resident, told Darfur24 that the shortage began escalating in May 2025 after the area’s only water station broke down.
Ibrahim Al-Sanousi noted that residents are now forced to travel up to seven kilometers into South Sudan to fetch water, raising fears of a looming humanitarian disaster if access is restricted. He added that repeated appeals to the Drinking Water Authority in Al-Daein, the state capital, to repair the pump or provide an alternative have gone unanswered.
Al-Raqibat, part of the Bahr al-Arab locality, has also become a key humanitarian and commercial corridor. The area facilitates the entry of goods, food, and fuel into Darfur states under Rapid Support Forces control via South Sudan, after trade with central and eastern Sudan came to a halt.