UN: 200,000+ Newly Displaced in Kordofan as RSF Drone Strike on El Obeid's Main Transformer Triggers Citywide Blackout

The UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned on Wednesday, August 20, 2026 that more than 200,000 people have been newly displaced across Sudan's Kordofan region since late 2025 amid intensifying fighting, with seasonal flooding in North Darfur compounding the crisis. In El Obeid, North Kordofan's capital, RSF drone strikes destroyed the city's main power transformer, knocking out electricity needed to pump water, run hospitals, and keep phone lines working; displacement in Sheikan locality (which includes El Obeid) has surged 25% over the past eight months, with roughly 15,000 families having fled into the city over the prior three weeks. IOM also reported 78,000 people displaced in Blue Nile State and 18,000 in West Darfur during the first half of August. IOM Director-General Amy Pope said 'the warning signs are impossible to ignore. Across Sudan, families are fleeing violence, losing access to water, electricity and healthcare, and now facing the added burden of destructive floods,' adding that 'the combined impact of conflict, infrastructure damage and flooding is stretching thousands of families beyond their limits.' IOM also warned that Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz shipping disruptions were adding pressure to an already underfunded humanitarian response.