Six die in South Kordofan’s Kadugli as war chokes off food, medicine

August 12, 2025 (KADUGLI) – At least six people, including three children, have died in the beleaguered city of Kadugli in South Kordofan state amid a severe lack of food and medicine caused by war and blockades, medical sources and residents said.

Three patients with kidney failure died last week after missing dialysis sessions at Kadugli Hospital, while three children succumbed to complications from malnutrition, the medical sources said.

Doctors warned that other patients are at risk of death due to the critical shortage of medical supplies. They attributed the collapse of the healthcare system to the expulsion of some 30 aid organizations, including the Norwegian Refugee Council and several UN agencies, from the state.

The city’s humanitarian crisis, which the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said has displaced 3,070 people, has sent food prices soaring.

Multiple sources reported the price of a “malwa” (a local measure) of sorghum has hit 35,000 Sudanese pounds, while a kilo of onions costs 125,000 pounds. The scarcity is so extreme that single onion slices are being sold for 1,000 pounds each.

Residents said citizens are facing a “slow death” and accused merchants of exploiting the situation by imposing a 25% fee on money transfers.

“Armed groups allied with the army, numbering around 17 militias, are imposing fees on food commodities and monopolizing some goods like sorghum,” a resident told Sudan Tribune, pleading for an urgent solution.

Supply routes to Kadugli have been severed. The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) has cut off main roads while repeatedly shelling the city, most recently on August 3. The crisis intensified after the SPLM-N captured the town of Umm Adara, severing a key trade route from the Al-Na’am market on the South Sudan border.

Simultaneously, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are blocking the passage of goods and aid from El-Obeid, a major transport hub, to Kadugli and other towns in South Kordofan, including Dilling.

Aid workers fear the humanitarian situation in Kadugli, Dilling, and surrounding villages will deteriorate further as access for essential supplies remains almost entirely cut off.