Kordofan Fighting Drives Displacement Above 200,000 As Power And Water Systems Fail

Khartoum, August 19, 2026 - More than 200,000 people have been displaced across Sudan's greater Kordofan region since late 2025, as intensified fighting and attacks on critical infrastructure deepen the country's humanitarian and service-delivery crisis.

In El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, heavy fighting and drone strikes on the city's main electrical transformer caused prolonged power outages. The outages disrupted municipal water pumping, hospitals and telecommunications networks, compounding civilian hardship and limiting local authorities' ability to respond.

The UN migration agency said displacement in Sheikan locality rose 25 percent over the past eight months, pushing regional displacement above 200,000 as families fled violence and collapsing basic services. Nationwide, Sudan now has 8.6 million internally displaced people, with additional pressures in Darfur and Blue Nile.

Seasonal floods have further strained relief operations, destroying more than 1,300 homes in North Darfur during the past week. Humanitarian agencies face shortages of water, electricity and medical care, while Red Sea shipping delays and reduced shelter funding continue to slow the emergency response.

The degradation of power, water and telecoms in Kordofan is a strategic warning for reconstruction planning: critical infrastructure is both a military target and a prerequisite for restoring commerce, health services and public administration.