Sudan: hundreds of thousands in El-Obeid face humanitarian catastrophe as deadly cholera outbreak intensifies, warns Plan International

Following months of prolonged hostilities in the region, the humanitarian situation in El-Obeid is on the brink of turning into a catastrophe. A deadly outbreak of cholera is tearing parts of the city following extensive damage to health centres and sanitation infrastructure, which is compounded by rains and poor sanitation conditions in the sites hosting displaced people in the city.

Meanwhile, civilians in El-Obeid and North Kordofan continue to face disastrous food and drinking water shortages, with hundreds of thousands across the state having dangerously little to eat according to the UN.

El-Obeid is home to a rapidly growing number of displaced people who have fled some of the worst of the fighting in the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which started in 2023 and has caused the most severe humanitarian crisis in the world today.

Without an immediate and drastic increase in humanitarian aid reaching the city, many children face death from disease and extreme hunger.

Mohamed Kamal, Country Director for Plan International Sudan said: 

“In the past weeks, our staff on the ground have reported deteriorating humanitarian conditions for a large number of children and their families in El-Obeid. 

“Cholera is tearing through certain communities in the city, with the outbreak being compounded by incessant rains and recent drone strikes that have crippled critical medical facilities and left thousands without access to urgent treatment and life-saving medications.

“Food supplies in the city are running low, clean water is scarce and every night we hear of horrific instances of sexual violence against girls and women at isolated water collection points. Dangerously overcrowded displacement camps are largely devoid of basic facilities, but hundreds who have nowhere else to go continue to arrive every day.

“The situation facing children is particularly dangerous – they are far more susceptible to disease, some face the prospect of recruitment by armed groups, and they are experiencing lasting psychological trauma as drone strikes and explosive weapons turn family homes into zones of fear.

“We are especially alarmed for girls in El-Obeid, who are facing heightened risks of sexual and gender-based violence and are almost always the ones who eat last and least when extreme hunger hits.

“During this rainy season Plan International continues to respond with life-saving support for children and their families in El-Obeid, but the disruption to power, water and food supplies – along with severe restrictions on humanitarian access to the city - is rapidly worsening an already desperate humanitarian situation. 

“Thousands of children’s lives are at risk in El-Obeid. We need a humanitarian pause in hostilities in Sudan, along with immediate, unhindered access for humanitarian workers to save lives. Every day without this costs children’s lives.”