UN warns of escalating violence in Darfur, Kordofan

December 12, 2025 (NEW YORK) – The United Nations has raised the alarm over escalating and indiscriminate violence targeting civilians across Sudan’s Darfur and Kordofan regions, citing a deadly drone strike in South Darfur and worsening insecurity in South Kordofan.

Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, told reporters on Thursday that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is deeply concerned by the intensifying conflict.

In South Darfur State, a drone strike on Monday in the town of Katila, approximately 150 kilometres south-west of Nyala, reportedly killed some 30 civilians and injured many others, including women and children. The strike targeted a location under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), highlighting the devastating impact of aerial attacks on non-combatants.

The security situation in South Kordofan State is also rapidly deteriorating. Haq reported that drone strikes have hit the state capital, Kadugli, and the town of Dilling. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 1,300 people were displaced between Monday and Wednesday alone, fleeing villages in the localities of Kadugli, Talawdi, and Abassiya due to insecurity and inter-communal tensions.

OCHA has reiterated its call for all parties to the conflict to cease attacks against civilians immediately and to adhere to international humanitarian law, specifically the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution.

Beyond the immediate violence, the humanitarian crisis in Khartoum State continues to deepen. A recent assessment of more than 1,200 families revealed extreme levels of food insecurity. Driven by price increases of up to 500 per cent and a widespread collapse of livelihoods, many families have been forced to rely on borrowing food, skipping meals, or selling remaining assets to survive.

“Once again, we call for rapid, safe, unhindered, and sustained humanitarian access across Sudan,” Haq said.

The UN and its partners are currently working to expand cash and voucher assistance, providing emergency agricultural inputs and livestock support to 64,000 farming households and 10,000 livestock-keeping families. However, the spokesperson urged the international community to step up support to ensure life-saving assistance reaches those in urgent need.