UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, has said that South Kordofan and Blue Nile states in Sudan are on the brink of catastrophe as violence continues to escalate at an alarming rate.

Ms Nkweta-Salami, in a statement on Thursday, said the latest outbreak of hostilities in Kadugli, South Kordofan, had reportedly claimed at least 80 civilian lives and left scores more injured.

She condemned the reported use of women and children as human shields there, along with the obstruction of humanitarian aid and the detention of civilians, including children.

Humanitarian needs also remain critical in Blue Nile, where the threat of violence and reports of mass mobilisation for conflict again risks further violence.

According to the top aid official, the worsening insecurity threatens to plunge both states into an even deeper crisis.

She said for too long, civilians have been unable to access life-saving assistance and basic services due to a severe lack of medical supplies, limited humanitarian access and the ongoing conflict.

“This is a critical moment, as the consequences of food insecurity are already being felt in parts of South Kordofan, where families are surviving on dangerously limited food supplies, and malnutrition rates are rising sharply,” she stressed.

Ms Nkweta-Salami warned that if the fighting continued, more people would be left without access to vital aid, human suffering would deepen, and more lives would be lost.

The Sudanese army and its military rivals, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have been engaged in deadly fighting for control of Africa’s third-largest country since April 2023.

Ms Nkweta-Salami called for all parties to the conflict to de-escalate tensions, protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and allow humanitarians safe and unrestricted access to those in need.

(NAN)