Overcrowding and Infrastructure Collapse Strain Sudanese Refuge City of El Obeid

The Sudanese city of El Obeid is experiencing a deteriorating humanitarian crisis as thousands of civilians seek refuge from ongoing fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces militia. According to United Nations figures, more than 15,000 families have entered the city since mid-July. They join an estimated 200,000 internally displaced people who fled to the area during the first six months of the year, based on government data cited by the humanitarian organization Save the Children.

Before the outbreak of civil war, El Obeid served as the capital of North Kordofan province with roughly 500,000 residents. Newly arrived families are now crowding into the city center and two primary tented encampments situated on its periphery. Satellite data analyzed by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab revealed that 800 new tents were erected at one camp between Aug. 4 and Aug. 25. Paul Byars, Sudan country director for the Danish Refugee Council, reported seeing 450 people arrive in a single morning. Byars noted that official estimates indicating 85 percent of arrivals are women and children appear accurate, as most men stay behind to farm.

Continued fighting in surrounding districts continues to force residents from their homes. A local aid volunteer, using the pseudonym Maryam for safety, described the city as “shockingly overcrowded” and noted an increase in consecutive drone strikes targeting first responders. Conflict monitoring group ACLED reported that drone attacks now account for half of all violent incidents in Sudan’s war, up from four percent at the start of the conflict. ACLED tracked 322 violent incidents affecting civilians across the Kordofan region this year. While the Rapid Support Forces were responsible for half of those incidents, government forces and allied groups have also caused civilian casualties, including an Aug. 10 attack that killed five civilians northeast of the city, according to the group Emergency Lawyers.

Municipal infrastructure has suffered severe damage. Drone strikes in June disrupted El Obeid’s main water source and delivery pipes, forcing hospitals and displacement sites to depend on insufficient water trucking, according to Esperanza Santos, an emergency coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières. Santos reported that sanitation in the camps is critical, with more than 100 people sharing a single latrine. Simultaneously, food prices have surged. World Food Programme data shows the price of groundnut oil in North Kordofan rose to 17,000 Sudanese pounds per liter in July from 7,700 a year earlier, while prices for flour and meat have more than doubled over the same period.

Background

Civil war broke out in Sudan on April 15, 2023, following a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces militia. The war has displaced approximately 11.3 million people, representing over one-fifth of the country’s population, and left several regions facing risks of famine. Fatality estimates vary widely, ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands killed across the country. Human rights concerns regarding El Obeid have heightened following events in El Fasher, where the Rapid Support Forces killed more than 10,000 people over two days in October 2025 after an 18-month siege.