Sudan’s RSF blockades Al-Mazroub as cholera spreads, sources say

August 11, 2026 (AL-MAZROUB, North Kordofan) – The humanitarian and health situation in Sudan’s North Kordofan state has deteriorated rapidly amid a cholera outbreak, supply shortages, and escalating abuses by the Rapid Support Forces against civilians, medical and local sources said on Tuesday.

The Sudanese army advanced in North Kordofan on July 25 and 26, taking control of Bara, Jabrat Al-Sheikh, Umm Sayala, and the Export Road.

The army expelled RSF fighters, who retreated toward Sodari, Umm Badr, Al-Mazroub, Hamrat Al-Waz, and other areas in western North Kordofan.

A medical source told Sudan Tribune that the isolation ward at Al-Mazroub Hospital receives about 20 cases of cholera and acute watery diarrhoea daily, with more than 50 cases admitted on Sunday and Monday alone.

The hospital faces severe shortages of food and medical supplies, limiting its capacity to treat patients as an RSF blockade on local roads cuts off aid.

Local sources said the RSF is blocking food supplies from entering Al-Mazroub and restricting civilian movement.

The North Kordofan Ministry of Health previously reported about 600 cholera cases, including 21 deaths, in Al-Mazroub through July.

Local sources said RSF members looted large portions of the Al-Mazroub market and seized private property from homes.

The paramilitary group faces allegations of widespread abuses against residents, including killings and unlawful detentions.

Sources said the RSF targeted civilians for detention and abduction, alleging they provided military intelligence and coordinates to the Sudanese air force, which conducts frequent airstrikes in the area.

Al-Mazroub and surrounding areas are seeing a massive military buildup as RSF fighters arrive from Darfur, joining forces who fled Jabrat Al-Sheikh, Bara, and the Export Road.

Al-Mazroub holds strategic importance in western North Kordofan because its road network connects the state to Darfur, making it a key staging ground for forces retreating from active combat zones.