Former UN coordinator warns El Obeid crisis may surpass El Fasher

Mukesh Kapila, the former United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, warned that the escalating violence in the central city of El Obeid could surpass the humanitarian disaster experienced in El Fasher earlier this year. Kapila, who oversaw aid operations during the peak of the conflict in Darfur, said that recent clashes between rival armed groups have disrupted supply routes, forced thousands of residents to flee, and threatened the already fragile health and food security systems in the region. He highlighted that the intensity of fighting, combined with the city's role as a logistical hub, could impede the delivery of essential assistance and exacerbate shortages of medicine, clean water, and shelter.

The United Nations and several non‑governmental organizations have already reported a sharp rise in displacement numbers from El Obeid, with estimates indicating that more than 150,000 people may require emergency aid in the coming weeks. Humanitarian agencies are urging the warring parties to allow safe passage for aid convoys and to respect ceasefire agreements that were brokered in Khartoum. Kapila’s warning underscores the urgent need for coordinated international response to prevent a humanitarian situation in El Obeid that could eclipse the severe crisis that unfolded in El Fasher, where widespread famine and disease claimed thousands of lives.