UN says hostilities in Sudan's Kordofan trigger more displacement

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Escalating insecurity across Sudan's Kordofan region is causing new waves of displacement and crippling civilian infrastructure including health services, UN humanitarians said Monday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said civilians are paying a devastating price.

"In the city of Dilling in South Kordofan state, the Sudan Doctors Network reported yesterday that three major hospitals are now out of service amid ongoing shelling, and that four doctors have reportedly been killed," the office said. "Continued insecurity and siege-like conditions have severely restricted access to life-saving assistance for civilians trapped in the city."

OCHA said the medical association reported on Monday that five people were killed and 13 others injured, all civilians, in an attack on Kartala Market in the Six Mountains area of South Kordofan on Sunday.

The International Organization for Migration reported that more than 2,200 people were displaced last week from the locality of Abassiya and the state capital Kadugli, in South Kordofan, and were heading toward White Nile state. Local partners indicated that families displaced from North Kordofan continue to arrive in Gedaref, Khartoum and River Nile states.

The UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, Denise Brown, led an assessment mission last week to Al Afad camp in Northern state, and authorities reported that the camp reached full capacity of 3,000 households with 60 to 80 new families arriving daily from the Darfur and Kordofan regions.

The assessment found only 100 functional latrines in the camp, far short of the estimated 800 required.

OCHA said that local authorities reported that nearly 80,000 displaced families are hosted across Northern state, placing severe strain on food, health, water, education and sanitation services, and putting women, children, older people and persons with disabilities at risk.

The office called on all parties to stop attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure immediately, respect international humanitarian law, and ensure rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that the UN chief's personal envoy for Sudan Ramtane Lamamra is in Cairo until Thursday for the fifth Sudan Consultative Group meeting, hosted by Egypt, providing an opportunity for renewed and coordinated international engagement to advance peacemaking efforts in Sudan.

OCHA also urgently appealed for additional funding so humanitarian partners can scale up life-saving assistance and help avert an even deeper humanitarian catastrophe across Sudan.

"In 2026, our partners aim to help 20 million people through the 2.9 billion U.S. dollar humanitarian needs and response plan," OCHA said. ■