As the war intensifies in the town of El Obeid in Sudan’s North Kordofan State, filling a jerrycan with water has become extremely dangerous for women and girls. During the day, drones attack water points, and at night, women who venture out to fill a bucket risk being raped. On Friday, UN Women warned of this dual terror, which has made accessing water a deadly gamble, while access to food, healthcare, and other essential services is severely limited, particularly in displacement sites.
“In El Obeid, Sudan, drone attacks during the day and sexual violence at night have left no safe window for women and girls to collect water – mirroring the atrocities documented in El Fasher last year,” said Anna Mutavati, Regional Director for East and Southern Africa at UN Women, the United Nations organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Speaking to journalists in Geneva remotely from Nairobi, Mutavati described the emerging pattern of violence against women and girls. Due to drone strikes targeting water sources and distribution points during the day, women must wait until nightfall to collect water.
“Under the perception that darkness offers protection from aerial attacks, these women and girls have been harassed, raped, and subjected to other forms of sexual violence – all while trying to access water,” Mutavati explained.
As foreign-made drones pour into Sudan and expand the battlefield, they bring the war deeper into civilian life by placing critical infrastructure within range. In May, the UN human rights chief warned that the conflict was “on the cusp of entering yet another new, even deadlier phase.”
From January to April of 2026, drone strikes killed at least 880 civilians, accounting for over 80 percent of the civilian deaths recorded by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR).
El-Obeid is a strategic trade and aid hub because it sits on major routes linking Khartoum with Darfur, the wider Kordofan region, and southern parts of the country. This location has made it a key battlefield between the two warring parties who have been fighting for power since April 2023.
Control of El Obeid and the surrounding area remains highly contested, with the frontlines repeatedly shifting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The UN warns that further disruptions to roads in and out of El Obeid would hinder efforts to provide humanitarian aid to those in need.
The capital of North Kordofan normally has a population of over half a million but now has almost double that number of people. The town is crowded with internally displaced people (IDPs), many of whom live in open camps or with host communities. Most of IDPs are women and children who rely on access to clean water to survive.
“With the rainy season set to peak next month, safe water is critical to reducing the risk of deadly waterborne diseases. Cholera is already spreading in Sudan, with 1,330 cases reported by WHO [the World Health Organization] in early July," Mutavati warned.
Furthermore, access to food, healthcare, and other critical services is extremely limited, especially in displacement sites.
The combination of malnutrition, which weakens the immune system and increasingly affects women and girls, and the lack of access to healthcare is exposing them to a greater risk of severe illness and death.
Throughout Sudan’s more than three-year conflict, sexual violence has been used as a weapon of war. Firsthand accounts document rapes, including assaults committed in front of family members and often accompanied by brutal physical abuse.
According to UN Women, the number of women and girls in need of gender-based violence services in Sudan has quadrupled since the conflict began, reaching an estimated 12.7 million in 2026.
Women-led organizations are essential to Sudan’s humanitarian response because they can reach communities that others cannot, providing critical protection and support. However, aid cuts have forced two-thirds of these organizations to close or drastically scale back safe spaces and gender-based violence services.
Furthermore, half of the surveyed organizations report that without urgent financial support, they expect to suspend their operations or close entirely within the next year. UN Women therefore reiterates its call for an immediate ceasefire to pave the way for inclusive peace talks and an end to the war, Mutavati emphasized.
“We further call for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, full respect for international humanitarian and human rights law, and the protection of women and girls,” she added.
“Perpetrators of violations must be held accountable, and survivors must have access to justice and comprehensive support services.”
Earlier this month, the UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan warned that the paramilitary RSF appeared to be replicating tactics used in El Fasher by encircling El Obeid and attacking critical infrastructure. This has raised fears that the city could face mass atrocities. Consequently, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted a resolution expressing deep concern about the imminent risk of large-scale atrocities by the RSF in and around El Obeid.
An unprecedented nationwide humanitarian emergency
The risk of further mass atrocities in North Kordofan State arises amid an unprecedented nationwide humanitarian emergency. An estimated 33.7 million people — nearly two-thirds of Sudan's population, including over 20 million children — currently require assistance and protection due to the war that began more than three years ago.
Intense fighting broke out on April 15, 2023, between the SAF and the RSF in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum. The violence quickly escalated and spread across Sudan, forcing millions to flee their homes. The conflict, which began as a power struggle between the SAF and the RSF, has resulted in the collapse of healthcare, food systems, and civilian protection nationwide.
This war is being waged with a new level of brutality against civilians, especially in the regions of Darfur and Kordofan. The RSF, in particular, has been implicated in mass killings and rape as a means of warfare. However, both warring parties have been accused of grave war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Rapid Support Forces have also been accused of perpetrating genocide.
The country's armed forces continue to battle the RSF militia for control of this vast country. More than 14 million people have been displaced, making this the world's largest displacement crisis and biggest humanitarian disaster. Of those displaced, about 9 million remain within Sudan's borders, while nearly 5 million have fled to neighboring countries due to ongoing warfare or previous conflicts.
Currently, Sudan is experiencing the world's most concerning hunger crisis due to the ongoing war. Nearly 20 million people in Sudan are facing acute hunger, including 5 million in emergency conditions. The number of people expected to face catastrophic hunger is projected to increase from 135,000 to 200,000 between June and September.
At least 14 areas across the states of North Darfur, South Darfur, and South Kordofan are at risk of famine through September 2026. In most of these locations, conditions are expected to persist into early 2027.
However, the international response to this level of suffering remains woefully inadequate. The 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), which seeks US$2.9 billion to provide assistance to 20.4 million people, is only 40 percent funded to date. The widening gap between rising needs and shrinking resources undermines both emergency response efforts and medium-term solutions.