Sudan clashes displace nearly 10,000 in North Kordofan and Blue Nile, UN warns

August 18, 2026 (GENEVA) – Ongoing violence across Sudan continues to kill civilians and force thousands to flee their homes in North Kordofan and Blue Nile states, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned.

In North Kordofan State, local authorities reported that more than a dozen civilians were killed and others wounded during clashes on Friday in Um Arada, a town southwest of the state capital, El Obeid.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that the fighting displaced more than 4,200 people from Um Arada and surrounding areas over Friday and Saturday.

The escalating insecurity in North Kordofan has severely hampered relief efforts, prompting humanitarian partners to suspend activities in Al Mazroub locality, an area currently grappling with a cholera outbreak.

In Blue Nile State, renewed clashes broke out last week in and around the towns of Geisan and Kurmuk. According to IOM, the hostilities displaced approximately 5,400 people in recent days.

OCHA reiterated its call for all warring parties to respect international humanitarian law by protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure, while allowing rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access.

Despite persistent security challenges, humanitarian agencies are continuing life-saving operations across Sudan. In the Darfur region, the World Food Programme provided food assistance to roughly 2.3 million people last month.

The UN agency renewed its appeal to international donors for urgent funding, noting that the 2026 humanitarian response plan for Sudan remains critically underfunded, having received only $1.2 billion, or 41 per cent, of the required $2.9 billion.