More than two-thirds of Sudan’s population needs lifesaving assistance and about 1,400 civilians were killed in the first half of 2026, most of them in drone strikes, the U.N. humanitarian chief told the Security Council on Monday.
Tom Fletcher, U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said about 1,100 of the civilian deaths recorded by U.N. human rights officials were caused by drone strikes.
“These are not just statistics,” Fletcher told the council. “These are people killed in their homes, in markets, and near the infrastructure on which their communities depend.”
In North Kordofan, drones have struck markets, fuel stations and vital power and water infrastructure in El Obeid, Fletcher said. Fighting has driven about 15,000 families into the city since mid-July, putting further pressure on already overstretched displacement sites and services.
More air strikes were reported southwest of El Obeid in the previous 72 hours, he said.
Humanitarian agencies were taking every opportunity to reach people in need but required greater protection for civilians and an end to the escalation, Fletcher said.
In South Kordofan, the towns of Dilling and Kadugli remain key humanitarian priorities and are currently accessible, although deteriorating roads caused by heavy seasonal rains are making access more difficult.
Fletcher said he was particularly concerned about West Kordofan, the epicentre of a recent cholera outbreak, where humanitarian operations remain limited.
In the Nuba Mountains in southern South Kordofan, intensifying violence has cut communities off from aid in an area already suffering from chronic food insecurity. Humanitarian facilities have been breached and looted, while aid workers have been detained, he said.
Renewed fighting in Blue Nile state has displaced thousands in the past two weeks as heavy rains hit the region, Fletcher said. The state is now hosting more than 370,000 displaced people.
Some people have crossed into Ethiopia, while attacks have resumed around the border towns of Geissan and Kurmuk, he said. The U.N. humanitarian coordinator visited the state capital, Ed Damazine, in late July.
In North Darfur, ground fighting and drone strikes continue to hamper humanitarian access, while heavy rains have made key routes increasingly difficult to use.
In other parts of Darfur, hundreds of thousands of people who fled the violence in El Fasher last year remain in desperate need of assistance in areas such as Tawila, Fletcher said, citing his recent visit to the region.
Across Sudan, humanitarian workers face front lines, drone attacks, insecurity and bureaucratic restrictions, he said.
Despite the challenges, aid agencies had reached nearly 11 million people with at least one form of assistance by mid-year, or about 52% of their prioritised target. The humanitarian response was on track to reach 11.4 million people with food assistance but remained behind targets for education, health, shelter and water.
Fletcher said the U.N.’s “Humanitarian Reset” had focused resources on people facing the highest levels of need and sought to provide more integrated assistance.
Humanitarian agencies had reached 1.7 million people classified as facing catastrophic needs across multiple sectors, exceeding the target of 1.5 million, with particular progress in Tawila and Kadugli, he said.
The United Nations has also expanded humanitarian air services and moved more operational capacity from Port Sudan to Khartoum, Fletcher said, adding that efforts had reduced duplication and bureaucratic obstacles.
He thanked Sudanese authorities and Chad’s government for keeping the Adre border crossing open, allowing aid agencies to reach millions of people across Darfur.
But funding remains a major constraint.
More than halfway through the year, donors had provided just over 40% of the $2.87 billion required under the U.N.’s prioritised humanitarian plan, which focuses on the most urgent lifesaving needs, Fletcher said.
Funding for the regional refugee response was even lower, at 17% of the $1.59 billion required to assist refugees and host communities in seven neighbouring countries.
“Refugees and displaced inside Sudan are also being squeezed by these shortfalls,” Fletcher said, while noting that Sudan continued to host people seeking safety despite the pressure.
Fletcher ended his briefing with an unusually direct appeal to the Security Council, saying repeated calls to uphold international humanitarian law, fund the response and end the conflict had produced insufficient action.
“Sudan does not suffer from a lack of analysis. It suffers from a lack of action,” he said.
“The people of Sudan need food, water and medicine. Yet the world sends drones, weapons and mercenaries.”
He said Sudan needed sustained diplomacy and peace, warning that the country and its people were increasingly being used as pieces in a regional struggle for power and resources.
“The tragedy of Sudan is not that we do not know what to do. It is that we have not yet found the will to do it,” Fletcher said.
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