Sudan medics warn of looming humanitarian disaster in South Kordofan amid RSF siege

By Adel Abdelrahim and Mohammad Sio

KHARTOUM, Sudan / ISTANBUL (AA) - A Sudanese medical group warned Saturday of an imminent health and humanitarian disaster in the city of Dalang in South Kordofan state, citing continued siege and heavy shelling by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In a statement, the non-governmental Sudan Doctors Network said that intense bombardment of Dalang has continued daily, killing and wounding civilians.

The group said it has been unable to compile accurate casualty figures because telecommunications inside the city are cut, hampering contact with field teams.

An RSF blockade on the city remains “extremely severe” and risks triggering a health and humanitarian catastrophe, as hospitals and medical facilities face acute shortages of food and essential medical supplies, it warned.

The network urged humanitarian agencies and international organizations to intervene immediately to lift the siege, ensure access for food and medical aid, and protect civilians and health workers to prevent further deterioration of conditions.

The group also called on the international community to act urgently to spare South Kordofan from a scenario similar to El-Fasher, which fell to RSF control on Oct. 26, with local and international organizations reporting massacres of civilians.

Dalang and Kadugli cities have been under siege by the RSF and the allied Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) since the early months of the war more than two years ago, with repeated artillery and drone attacks.

The three Kordofan states -- North, West, and South -- have seen weeks of fierce fighting between the army and the RSF, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee.

Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five states of the Darfur region in the west, except for some northern parts of North Darfur that remain under army control. The army, in turn, holds most areas of the remaining 13 states in the south, north, east, and center, including the capital, Khartoum.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has since killed thousands of people and displaced millions of others.