The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has warned that the Sudanese city of El Obeid could face a humanitarian catastrophe similar to that experienced in El Fasher if the conflict continues to escalate.
In a video message published on Sunday on the organization’s X account, IOM Sudan Chief of Mission Mohamed Rifaat expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State.
“We are concerned that El Obeid will become like El Fasher, and if we do nothing, we will see another El Fasher,” Rifaat said.
For about a month, El Obeid has been subjected to repeated drone attacks attributed to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), targeting the city’s main power station, fuel facilities and other civilian infrastructure. Local reports say the attacks have killed and injured dozens of people.
The warning comes amid continued fighting across several regions of Sudan.
Separately, the Sudanese Armed Forces announced on Sunday that they had secured the strategic area of Sirkam in Blue Nile State after operations against the RSF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N).
READ: Cholera, measles, food shortages put 200,000 at risk in Sudan’s North Kordofan: Medics
In a statement, the army’s 4th Infantry Division in Damazin said its forces, supported by allied units, conducted a clearing operation that resulted in the seizure of weapons, ammunition and military equipment allegedly abandoned by retreating opposition forces.
The military said no government troops were killed during the operation and pledged to continue security operations until the area is fully secured.
Neither the RSF nor the SPLM-N had commented on the army’s claims.
The Sudanese military previously announced on June 29 that it had captured the strategic areas of Sarkam and Maqja in Blue Nile State following clashes with the RSF and SPLM-N. Sarkam is considered strategically important because it provides access toward the border city of Kurmuk, while Maqja lies along key routes in southern Blue Nile.
According to military sources cited by Anadolu Agency on July 3, Sudanese army forces and allied groups have launched a broader offensive aimed at recapturing Kurmuk.
Blue Nile State has experienced months of escalating fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and their allies on one side and the RSF and SPLM-N on the other, forcing thousands of civilians to flee.
The SPLM-N has fought the Sudanese government since 2011, seeking greater autonomy for Blue Nile and South Kordofan states. Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF over plans to integrate the paramilitary force into the national military.
According to the United Nations, the conflict has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, causing widespread famine, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing an estimated 13 million others.
READ: IOM: 1,430 people displaced in Sudan’s North Darfur in one day
