Warning about 'largest' humanitarian crisis
Publish date: 02 February 2026
Issue Number: 1162
Diary: IBA Legalbrief Africa
Category: Sudan
South Kordofan is now the epicentre of the war in Sudan, which has caused the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, reports the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Civilians in this part of southern Sudan face intensified fighting and near-total blockage of humanitarian supplies, after a year of starvation and bombardment, the secretary general of the NRC Jan Egeland warned today (Monday). At the end of his visit to South Kordofan, Egeland said he saw that the world was once again failing civilians in Sudan, with the clock ticking on further widespread atrocities. ‘South Kordofan has become Sudan’s most dangerous and neglected frontline,’ said Egeland. ‘After the horrors in Al Fasher, Darfur, we cannot allow another civilian catastrophe to unfold on our watch. Entire cities are being starved, forcing families to flee with nothing. Civilians here have told me they are bombed and attacked where they live, pray, and learn. This is a man-made disaster, and it is accelerating towards a nightmare scenario.’ In Kadugli and Dilling, the main towns in South Kordofan, essential supply routes have been cut, leading markets to completely collapse. Trapped civilians are left with little or no access to food, cash, or basic services. Famine is taking hold in Kadugli, with Dilling at high risk of the same.