North Kordofan: Medicine and water shortages, doctors’ strike enters second week

El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, faces a severe shortage of medicines in local pharmacies, amid an ongoing strike by doctors at El Obeid Teaching Hospital. The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) 5th Infantry Division in El Obeid are preparing for a potential Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attack on their posts.

According to local sources, medical staff in El Obeid Teaching Hospital went on strike on 24 November, “following an incident where an army soldier attacked a female doctor at the hospital”. The disruption has led to a complete halt in operations, disproportionately impacting patients unable to cover private clinic fees.

Concurrently, water supply disruptions affect the southern and western neighbourhoods of El Obeid, causing the price of a barrel of water to soar to SDG 3,000.

Residents speaking to Radio Dabanga lamented the absence of the North Kordofan wali (governor), who they blame for “staying in Port Sudan instead of overseeing civil services [in North Kordofan]”.

Anticipating a potential attack by the RSF, the SAF 5th Infantry Division – Haggana – in El Obeid is reportedly bracing itself by “strengthening defences and erecting additional barriers around the command’s perimeter”.

In a statement issued early October, Sudan’s Emergency Lawyers issued an appeal to “rescue and treat the injured at El Obeid Teaching Hospital and El Daman Hospital, due to power outages and shortages of fuel and medical supplies”.