Greater Kordofan—comprising the states of North, South, and West Kordofan—is one of Sudan’s most diverse and productive regions. The area relies heavily on agriculture, livestock herding, and forest products, forming the backbone of the local economy and representing a key source of export revenue that supplies the country with foreign currency. The region also plays a pivotal role in border trade with South Sudan, making it an essential contributor to Sudan’s national economy.
Despite its economic importance, the region has experienced significant decline in recent years due to Sudan’s overall economic deterioration, coupled with armed conflicts and deteriorating security conditions, even though substantial petroleum reserves exist in several parts of the region. The population of Greater Kordofan is estimated at about 5.7 million people according to 2020 statistics, underscoring its economic and social weight within the country.
Since the outbreak of war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023—which is now nearing three years of continuous fighting—Greater Kordofan has become one of the main theaters of conflict. The intensifying battles have led to massive displacement, with West Kordofan alone recording the displacement of around 47,000 people in recent months. International organizations estimate that hundreds of thousands have fled North, South, and West Kordofan combined due to escalating violence. This large-scale displacement has resulted in the near-total disruption of agricultural and livestock production, as residents were forced to abandon their farms and grazing lands in search of safety, leading to the collapse of the economic cycle in both rural and urban areas.
Humanitarian suffering has worsened due to widespread looting, theft, and destruction targeting property, farms, and livestock, further deepening the region’s food crisis. Shortages of essential food items have increased, prices have soared beyond the population’s ability to cope, and cases of malnutrition—especially among children—have risen. The destruction of key infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and service centers, has caused a severe decline in health and education services, accompanied by critical shortages of drinking water, medicine, and basic services.
As a result, Greater Kordofan—once a vital hub of agricultural and pastoral production in Sudan—has transformed into a region suffering from mass displacement, economic collapse, and a suffocating humanitarian crisis. With the war continuing and violence expanding, the suffering of civilians deepens by the day, making the region’s crisis a central component of Sudan’s wider tragedy, which threatens the lives and stability of millions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, as long as the parties to the conflict and their supporters remain obstinate and refuse to heed the pleas of Sudanese citizens—exhausted by the fires of war and its devastating consequences—alongside their continued disregard of repeated calls from the international community and the United Nations to cease hostilities and pursue genuine pathways to peace and to salvage what remains of the country, the humanitarian situation will continue to deteriorate. This will widen the circle of suffering among civilians in conflict-affected areas unless all sides return to reason and place the interests of Sudan and its people above the calculations of war, in an effort to save the nation from a catastrophe affecting all its dimensions.
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