The UN’s top humanitarian official delivered a stark rebuke to the Security Council on Monday, saying the world’s worst humanitarian crisis in Sudan persists not from a lack of knowledge but from “a lack of action.”
Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, briefed the Council on August 24 that more than two-thirds of Sudan’s 51 million people are in desperate need of lifesaving support. He cited 1,400 civilian deaths in the first half of 2026, with more than 1,100 caused by drone strikes alone.
Drone Strikes Devastate El Obeid
In North Kordofan’s El Obeid, drones are striking markets, fuel stations, and critical power and water infrastructure. Fighting has driven 15,000 families into the city since mid-July, overwhelming displacement sites and services already at breaking point. Additional air strikes southwest of the city occurred in the 72 hours before the briefing.
In the Nuba Mountains of southern South Kordofan, intensifying violence is cutting communities off from humanitarian aid in an area already plagued by chronic food insecurity. Aid facilities have been breached and looted, and many aid workers detained.
Funding Falls Short
Despite the scale of the crisis, the international response remains severely underfunded. Two-thirds of the way through 2026, donors have provided just over 40 percent of the $2.87 billion needed for the hyper-prioritized humanitarian plan. The Regional Refugee Response Plan for seven neighboring countries has received only 17 percent of the $1.59 billion requested.
Fletcher noted that humanitarians have reached nearly 11 million people with at least one form of help by mid-year – 52 percent of the prioritized target – including 1.7 million people in the most catastrophic category of need, exceeding the 1.5 million targeted.
“The people of Sudan need food, water and medicine. Yet the world sends drones, weapons and mercenaries. The people of Sudan need sustained, courageous diplomacy. Yet the world is too often indifferent and distracted.” – Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
Renewed fighting in Blue Nile has displaced thousands in the last two weeks, with the state now hosting more than 370,000 displaced people. Some have fled into Ethiopia, a reminder of how the war is spilling across Sudan’s borders. Ground fighting and drone strikes continue to cripple humanitarian access in northwestern North Darfur.
The four-year war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 8.6 million people. The World Food Programme reports that 19.5 million people are acutely food insecure, with famine conditions confirmed in parts of North Darfur in 2025.
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