19-25 July 2026 Sudan News Summary: Warnings of aid halt, delayed rainfall in Kordofan and Darfur, looming disaster in El Obeid
Arabic news roundup
By William Greenwood
World Food Programme warns of aid halt for millions in Sudan
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Saturday that millions of Sudanese people could be left without aid as funds for cash transfers are set to run out in August and food stocks in September.
Some 33.7 million Sudanese require assistance this year, including 19.5 million suffering from severe hunger, among warnings that 825,000 children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition and 3.4 million children are at risk of deadly diseases.
Funds allocated for life-saving cash assistance are expected to run out next month; without urgent funding, cash transfers will cease, leaving millions of vulnerable people without support.
In June, the WFP provided cash assistance to 1.4 million people - the highest monthly number of beneficiaries receiving this type of support since the conflict began.
The agency noted that current funding levels allow for continued aid to approximately 4 million people per month, representing only one in five of the 19.5 million people in need of emergency food assistance.
From: Sudan Tribune
Kordofan and Darfur: Delayed Rains Raise Fears of Famine
Delayed rainfall across vast areas of the Darfur and Kordofan regions has sparked growing concerns about the success of the current agricultural season, compounded by warnings of declining food and cash crop yields, rising production input costs, and the ongoing war, which has restricted thousands of farmers from accessing their land.
Farmers state that the continued delay in rainfall could lead to a reduction in cultivated acreage, potentially impacting agricultural output and food security in the coming months.
Dry soil conditions have caused breakdowns in agricultural machinery due to the difficulty of working on land lacking sufficient moisture, thereby driving up the costs of preparing for the season.
In the city of Nyala, the persistent lack of rain has prompted hundreds of residents to gather in public squares for prayers seeking rainfall, reflecting mounting anxiety over the potential failure of the agricultural season.
In parts of South Kordofan state, farmers report more consistent rainfall this season; however, the ongoing conflict and high production costs are limiting their ability to capitalise on these favourable conditions.
UN agencies view the current agricultural season as a critical opportunity to alleviate the food crisis but the combination of ongoing war, soaring fuel and fertiliser prices, farmers' restricted access to land, and erratic rainfall in certain areas threatens to reduce agricultural output for the second consecutive season across large parts of the country.
From: Darfur24
English news roundup
By Samuel Hunt
El Obeid on the brink: drone strikes, cholera and mass displacement push the city towards humanitarian collapse
El Obeid is possibly doubling in size as displaced families arrive daily from across Kordofan and Darfur; nearly 400,000 people in the surrounding districts face emergency levels of food insecurity, while those receiving WFP assistance get only 50% rations due to severe funding shortfalls — with food stocks set to run out entirely by October.
North Kordofan has recorded at least 141 drone strikes this year, with more than half since June; strikes have hit schools, markets, fuel stations and the main power station, leaving petrol at nearly $15 a litre and families in displacement camps surviving on just over one litre of water per person per day, with cholera cases now reported and rising.
WFP requires $646 million between June and November to reach 8.5 million people; without it, the agency warns that hard-won gains against famine risk being reversed, with active conflict having already prevented food deliveries to an estimated 200,000 people in June alone.