Sudan: Mass displacement, hundreds killed as violence escalates in Kordofan

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said that intensified fighting since the start of 2025 in the three states of Sudan’s Kordofan region has caused the deaths of hundreds of people, mass displacement, and the collapse of essential services.

In a statement, the ICRC said: “Attacks on civilians and essential infrastructure in Sudan’s Kordofan states — including hospitals, markets and residential areas — have caused a high number of casualties, mass displacement and the collapse of essential services.”

Daniel O’Malley, head of the ICRC delegation in Sudan, said in the statement: “Fighting in the Kordofan states has intensified since the beginning of 2025, resulting in hundreds of deaths and exacerbating the country’s humanitarian crisis. In some areas, 90 per cent of civilians have fled,”

He added that alongside the fighting, unexploded remnants of war pose a serious threat to civilians, especially those fleeing conflict zones or trying to return to their homes.

O’Malley warned of grave risks facing the wounded and the sick, pointing to the dire condition of the country’s already fragile health system.

He noted that the rate of displacement has risen sharply across North, South and West Kordofan in recent months, with many families forced to flee multiple times as frontlines shift. Supply routes have also been affected, leaving some areas cut off from basic services for months.

The ICRC urged all parties involved to respect international humanitarian law, which bans attacks on civilians and infrastructure, asserting that protecting civilians and ensuring access to aid is a legal and moral duty.