The Red Cross and Red Crescent are stepping up humanitarian aid in El Obeid and North Kordofan.

2 July 2026 (PEN) The International Committee of the Red Cross, in cooperation with the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, has stepped up humanitarian assistance in El Obeid and North Kordofan, in response to the recent escalation of hostilities around the city.

The two organizations provided food aid to more than 42,000 people in camps and urban settlements, enough to last them for a month, in addition to distributing nutritional supplements to more than 7,000 children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers in the coming weeks.

The International Committee said that more than 850 people with weapon-related injuries have been treated at Al-Abyad Teaching Hospital since the beginning of the year.

The committee also provided medical supplies, emergency equipment and cholera epidemic response materials, to enhance injury care and preparedness for epidemic outbreaks.

Currently, 36 trained volunteers from the Sudanese Red Crescent are working in 12 displacement sites in the Al-Abyad area, providing first aid and referring patients.

First aid teams provided assistance to approximately 400 people during the months of April and May.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, in cooperation with the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, is carrying out health awareness, cholera prevention and sanitation activities for the benefit of 6,000 displaced families, while the ICRC and water authorities are working on rehabilitating and drilling wells.

The residents of Al-Abyad city are facing increasing hardship due to frequent interruptions in basic services, making access to clean water and health care extremely difficult.

Freya Radhi, head of operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Sudan, said that "hostilities must be conducted in a way that protects civilians and civilian objects from harm, including the protection of health facilities and infrastructure essential for survival."