GENEVA: The Sudanese flashpoint of El-Obeid and surrounding areas are experiencing a spike in malnutrition, gender-based violence and other issues, the United Nations children’s agency said on Friday.

It said the conflict was “a massive disaster that keeps getting worse”.

Now in Khartoum after visiting the area around the city, UNICEF’s Sudan chief Sheldon Yett said in an interview that the rising price of basic necessities and limited access to clean water were causing the uptick in malnutrition.

“People are getting sicker and not able to absorb nutrients,” he said.

The war between Sudan’s regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that erupted in April 2023 has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.

Following a days-long advance across North Kordofan state, the army managed on Sunday to push the RSF west, off the highway that connects the capital Khartoum with El-Obeid. “Many of the people are fleeing from El-Obeid... Those people who are able to leave are doing so.’’

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2026