Sudan’s South Kordofan Plunges Deeper into Crisis as People Run out of Safe Options 

December 16, 2025

As Sudan’s humanitarian crisis continues to spiral, nowhere is the deterioration more alarming than in Kordofan, now at the center of escalating violence and hunger. Nearly 1,000 days of conflict have pushed fighting from Khartoum into Darfur and deep into North and South Kordofan, turning the region into a new epicenter of displacement and extreme hardship. Once-functioning towns have rapidly emptied, trade routes have been severed, and communities are forced to move repeatedly. 

Repeated attacks, including drone strikes and shelling in key civilian areas and service hubs, have heightened fear and instability, triggering mass displacement across Kordofan. In places like Kadugli — already at high risk of famine — people are fleeing in large numbers as markets run out of food and the area remains almost entirely cut off from aid. Without urgent access and support, conditions will deteriorate rapidly, with catastrophic consequences for civilians who are quickly running out of options. 

Mercy Corps Interim Country Director for Sudan, Miji Park, says: 

“Civilians across South Kordofan are facing violence, hunger, and displacement that are worsening by the day. Fighting along key trade routes has cut families off from food, water, and medicine, and what little remains is now priced far beyond reach for most people. 

“Routes out of Kordofan are unsafe or completely blocked, leaving many people trapped, hungry, and increasingly desperate. Our teams are seeing mass attempts to flee Kadugli and Dilling as families fear a repeat of the horrors witnessed recently in El Fasher. The window to escape is closing.  

“We are hearing of families — including women, children, and the elderly — who walk eight hours just to reach the first safe crossing, beginning long and uncertain journeys and sleeping wherever they can because the main roads are too dangerous to use. Our staff are also terrified for their own families, many of whom are still in and around Kadugli. 

“Journeys that once took four hours now force people to walk for 15 to 30 days through isolated areas and mine-littered terrain. One team member told us, ‘Unless you have some good money for a motorbike, donkey cart, or tuk-tuk, walking is your only option.’ 

“For those who remain, food is rapidly disappearing. Families have turned to wild grasses and leaves to survive. Our teams have seen people eating a wild plant known locally as Khadija Kuru — something they have not witnessed since the drought of the 1980s. These are unbearable choices, yet for many they are all that remain. 

“Humanitarian workers are operating at the edge of what is possible as needs rise faster than aid can reach. Even while fearing for their own safety, they continue working day in and day out to keep lifesaving assistance moving, including critical cash support for vulnerable communities. Safe passage for civilians and unhindered humanitarian access must be guaranteed, alongside urgent diplomatic efforts to end this conflict.” 
 

Notes to editors: 

  • Photos related to the crisis in Sudan, including images from Tawila collected in April 2025, are available for free use here.  

  • According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), there were an estimated 9.58 million internally displaced persons in Sudan as of 30 September 2025.   

  • Key road corridors linking North and South Kordofan remain blocked or unsafe, disrupting trade and the movement of essential goods, including medicine.
  • Insecurity along transport routes, including reports of drone activity affecting commercial and humanitarian movements, has further constrained access and increased risks for civilians and aid delivery.

Mercy Corps has worked in Sudan since 2004. Through our ongoing response across 15 states, we are working to meet urgent needs and support the community’s recovery.  

Our teams are providing cash and voucher assistance to displaced families, helping farmers increase food production, and supporting local markets to keep essential goods moving. Through the Cash Consortium of Sudan, we are supporting community-led initiatives to deliver lifesaving assistance and strengthen community resilience in the face of one of the world’s most complex humanitarian emergencies. 

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