UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarri has said the situation in Sudan is “truly horrific,” with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) sounding the alarm on relentless drone strikes across the Kordofan and Darfur regions, which are driving continued civilian casualties and further constraints on humanitarian access.
Briefing the media in New York on Monday, he said two people were reportedly killed on Sunday in a drone strike in the town of Al Rahad, south‑east of El Obeid, which is the capital of the North Kordofan State.
“A hospital was also destroyed. Two days earlier, additional casualties were reported when drone strikes hit Al Fula, the capital of West Kordofan,” Dujarric said. “Drone strikes across several parts of Darfur between Thursday and Saturday reportedly caused casualties and significant property damage. On Saturday, strikes in the Wadi Sira area on the road to Al Tina, west of El Fasher, reportedly caused multiple casualties.”
“In Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State, drone strikes on Thursday and Friday reportedly caused casualties and extensive damage in several neighborhoods,” he added.
The spokesperson said that on 12 March, a strike on a market at Akidong in West Darfur, near the crucial Adre border crossing, triggered a large explosion.
“Our colleagues at Médecins Sans Frontières reported that 23 injured civilians, including four women and seven children, were admitted to a hospital they are supporting in Adré, on the Chad side of the border,” Dujarric stated. “Explosive remnants of war continue to pose grave risks to civilians. In one incident, three children were reportedly injured on Thursday when a hand grenade detonated in the yard of a home in Nyala.”
He said that while all this is going on, the UN and its partners continue to provide life‑saving assistance to families impacted by the crisis.
“In River Nile State, our partners recently installed eight 2,000‑litre water tanks in displacement sites and schools in Shendi. This is helping to ease water shortages, improve hygiene conditions, and reduce the risk of waterborne diseases for displaced families and host communities,” Dujarric said. “The UN calls once again on all parties to comply with their clearly known obligations under international humanitarian law, which include protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure, and ensuring the rapid, safe, unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance to whoever needs it, and wherever it is needed.”