Sudan: Gender Alert: Escalation of hostilities in Kordofan

Country: Sudan Source: UN Women Please refer to the attached file. This gender alert was developed by the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group (GiHA WG) in Sudan together with support from the Sudan Women Advisory Group (WAG) to the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT). It draws on insights from 43 women-led organizations (WLOs) operating in North, South and West Kordofan collected through a qualitative survey, as well as a focus group discussion with women leaders and WLO service providers currently providing humanitarian support across all regions of Kordofan. Conflict dynamics, access and humanitarian situation in North, South and West Kordofan Active hostilities have continued in Kordofan over the past few months. Territorial control of Kordofan states is highly contested, with some parts under the control of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and others under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N). In North Kordofan, El-Obeid, the state capital, after experiencing siege like conditions for two years recently faced a series of intense attacks at the end of February, marked by frequent drone strikes 1 targeting key infrastructure across the city and causing significant damage, including to hospitals and the University of Kordofan 2. Attacks have also targeted residential neighborhoods and markets, resulting in civilian casualties. These attacks occur as the state hosts large numbers of displaced people from Darfur and Kordofan who rely on few functioning health facilities for basic medical services. In mid-March, RSF also seized Barah, where communications remain cut to date. In South Kordofan, Kadugli and Dilling have been under siege for over two years. The SAF reentered the cities in late January 2026, but access roads remain contested and the humanitarian situation is critical. Humanitarian actors delivered shipments of vaccines and food in February, which eased conditions and reportedly reduced risks of famine in hotspots such as Kadugli3. However, the situation remains highly volatile and the risk of escalation is still very high as access routes into South Kordofan are fragile due to ongoing clashes between SAF and joint RSF–SPLM-N forces. Residential neighborhoods have come under artillery and drone shelling, resulting in civilian deaths and injuries, including women and children. West Kordofan is under the control of the RSF, with a flux of population fleeing to North Kordofan. The region has become increasingly isolated with limited humanitarian access; several localities—including En Nuhud, El Khawai, and Wad Banda—are classified as hardto-reach. Between 25 October 2025 and 22 February 2026, IOM DTM teams estimated that approximately 132, 693 individuals were displaced from locations across the Kordofan region 4. Displacement followed increased insecurity and clashes between the SAF and RSF, with most incidents occurring in South Kordofan (64 out of 85 incidents). The Kordofan region hosts an estimated total of 1, 008, 533 internally displaced persons (IDPs) recorded across 1, 980 locations in 36 localities5. This represents a 15 percent increase in the total number of IDPs in Kordofan since the escalation of the conflict in October 20256. Prior to the escalation, North Kordofan already hosted an estimated 222, 000 IDPs across 652 localities7. With the recent escalation, 73 percent of households have settled in urban centres such as Sheikan and El Obeid, where access to services and existing facilities is largely limited and shelter options may be unavailable 8. In its February update, IOM DTM estimated that 57 percent of IDPs in the Kordofan region were children under 18 years old; 52 percent were men and boys and 48 percent were women and girls.

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