ICRC: Military Escalation Deepens Suffering of El Obeid Residents

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that residents of El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, are facing growing hardships following the recent military escalation, placing additional strain on an already fragile humanitarian situation.

For the past three weeks, the city has reportedly been subjected to continuous drone and heavy artillery attacks, resulting in dozens of civilian deaths and injuries. The fighting has also caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and essential public services, particularly water tanks and electricity facilities, amid reports of large military buildups around the city and threats of a major ground offensive.

The Civil Democratic Alliance of the Forces of the Revolution (Somoud) warned that if the situation continues without urgent intervention, thousands of families, children, women, and elderly people will face an immediate risk, while their suffering will intensify due to the lack of basic services.

The alliance called for an immediate cessation of military operations and attacks against civilians, the declaration of an urgent and comprehensive humanitarian ceasefire in the city, the opening of safe humanitarian corridors to ensure the delivery of medical, food, and relief assistance, and unhindered access for humanitarian organizations to carry out their work.