South Kordofan State is now the epicenter of the war in Sudan, which has caused the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, warned the international humanitarian organization Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) on Monday. Civilians in this part of southern Sudan face intensified hostilities and a nearly total blockade of humanitarian supplies after a year of starvation and bombardment, said NRC Secretary General Jan Egeland at the end of his visit to South Kordofan.
He said that he saw the world failing Sudanese civilians once again, and that time is running out to prevent further widespread atrocities.
“South Kordofan has become Sudan’s most dangerous and neglected frontline,” he said. “After the horrors in Al Fasher, Darfur, we cannot allow another civilian catastrophe to unfold on our watch. Entire cities are being starved, forcing families to flee with nothing.
Egeland said that civilians in South Kordofan had told him they were “bombed and attacked where they live, pray, and learn.”
“This is a man-made disaster, and it is accelerating towards a nightmare scenario,” he warned.
In Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan, and Dilling, a nearby town, essential supply routes have been cut, causing markets to collapse completely. Trapped civilians have little or no access to food, cash, or basic services.
Famine is underway
According to the IPC Famine Review Committee (FRC), famine is occurring in Kadugli, and the conditions in the besieged town of Dilling mirror those in Kadugli. However, the IPC could not evaluate the situation in Dilling due to restricted humanitarian access and ongoing hostilities.
Thousands of people are fleeing Kordofan on perilous journeys, often having to cross frontlines to reach the Nuba Mountains — a region that has long been isolated and impoverished and is now facing renewed violence. Others are fleeing to White Nile and Gedaref states, as well as South Sudan.
These journeys take days or weeks and are marked by hunger, theft, intimidation, and abuse. Overall, more than 88,000 people have been displaced across the Kordofan region since late October as fighting continues to drive civilians from their homes. The region already hosts more than one million internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Upon reaching displacement camps, which offer relative safety, families sleep on the bare ground or in overcrowded shelters. There are few aid groups like NRC, and they are overworked and underfunded, with essential items in critically short supply.
According to NRC, UN agencies have left Kadugli, and most international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have suspended or drastically reduced operations.
Children are traumatized, malnourished, and out of school. Parents tell aid groups that psychosocial support, education, and cash assistance are among their most urgent needs.
Egeland warned that the humanitarian response is nowhere near the required scale, as international agencies remain largely absent, and access constraints continue to block aid delivery.
“With most international organizations’ operations scaled back, Sudanese local responders are holding the line under extreme pressure,” he said.
“They are running communal kitchens, evacuating families, and delivering aid under fire. They are doing everything possible, but we must do more to help them.”
NRC said it is maintaining operations in Kadugli, the Nuba Mountains, and other areas to which people have fled, despite severe security and access constraints. The humanitarian organization is providing emergency food, cash assistance, shelter, education, protection, and water supplies wherever possible.
However, the needs are rapidly outpacing the available resources. Anticipating further displacement, NRC is prepositioning shelter and non-food item kits in White Nile and Gedaref states.
“This is a critical moment,” said Egeland.
“We know exactly where this leads if the world looks away again. History will judge us if we abandon the civilians of Sudan again to face endless violence and deprivation.”
NRC is appealing to the parties involved in the conflict to grant immediate humanitarian access and protect civilians. The organization is also calling for urgent funding for life-saving aid and effective international engagement to prevent further suffering.
“The people of Kordofan have not given up,” said Egeland. “Local responders have not given up. The question now is whether the world will finally act.”
OCHA warns situation in South Kordofan is deteriorating rapidly
The NRC's call to action follows the warning issued on Friday by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) that the situation in South Kordofan is deteriorating rapidly, with civilians facing escalating violence, continued displacement, and the near-total collapse of basic services.
Last week, the security situation in Dilling worsened significantly, with intense artillery shelling and drone strikes reported across multiple neighborhoods, according to OCHA. Local sources indicate that dozens of civilians have been killed, but telecommunications disruptions are preventing the verification of casualty figures.
OCHA reported that the situation in Kadugli is equally alarming. More than 80 percent of the population — approximately 147,000 people — is believed to have fled to other parts of South Kordofan and beyond.
An OCHA team that visited Abu Jubaiha last week reported that thousands of people are still arriving from Dilling and Kadugli, with 250 to 300 arriving daily. Some people reported being on the move for several weeks in search of safety, with deaths occurring along the way.
Aid agencies continue to operate in Dilling wherever possible, but severe insecurity, supply shortages, and access constraints affect operations. An interagency convoy carrying supplies intended for Dilling and Kadugli is currently in El Obeid, in the neighboring state of North Kordofan, and has been unable to proceed due to the security situation.
OCHA reiterated its call for an immediate cessation of attacks on civilians and civilian objects and for rapid, safe, unhindered, and sustained humanitarian access to reach those in need.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the country, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that, from late October to mid-January, more than 127,000 people were displaced from the famine-stricken town of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, due to heightened insecurity. Most remain in North Darfur, while others have sought refuge in other states, further straining overstretched resources there.
The war in Sudan began on April 15, 2023, and has lasted more than 1,000 days. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict. Nearly 34 million people — around two-thirds of the population — now require humanitarian assistance, making this the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
Due to war, acute food insecurity, malnutrition, disease outbreaks, and worsening climate shocks, more than 33 million people in Sudan require humanitarian assistance in 2026. According to the latest IPC report, over 19 million people are facing critical levels of food insecurity, and approximately 375,000 people are experiencing catastrophic hunger.
According to the latest UN data, more than 14 million people have been displaced, including 9.7 million internally displaced by conflict and over 4.6 million who have fled to neighboring countries, placing immense strain on them.
As needs rise sharply across several regions of Sudan, OCHA called on donors once again on Friday to provide urgent support. In 2026, the UN and its partners require US$2.9 billion to assist over 20 million people in need across Sudan. Last year, 62 percent of needs remained unfunded.