The Committee for Justice (CFJ) has documented a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation across wide areas of North Kordofan State as a result of restrictions imposed on the movement of goods, food, and medical supplies between conflict‑affected areas, leading to severe shortages of basic necessities and a sharp increase in the prices of essential commodities.
According to CFJ’s documentation, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) arrested at least 280 individuals and confiscated goods and vehicles transporting food supplies from the city of Al‑Dabbah and other localities in Northern State, as well as from Omdurman, toward areas of North Kordofan. At the same time, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue to impose restrictions on the movement of goods from territories under their control, including food items and livestock, to other regions, resulting in major disruptions to supply chains and worsening civilian suffering.
Available information indicates that residents of Hamrat Al‑Sheikh, Um Andaraba, Jabra Al‑Sheikh, Hamrat Al‑Waz, Sodari, Um Badr, and surrounding villages are facing extremely difficult humanitarian conditions amid acute shortages of food, medicine, and other basic necessities. Civilians are reportedly being forced to risk their lives in order to secure daily needs, against a backdrop of deteriorating security conditions and escalating drone attacks targeting roads and transportation routes.
This crisis comes amid reciprocal measures adopted by both parties to the conflict aimed at restricting the movement of goods between areas under different control. These include Emergency Order No. (6) of 2025, issued by the Governor of Northern State, prohibiting the transport of goods to Kordofan, Darfur, and the western parts of the state, as well as Emergency Order No. (2) of 2025, issued by the Governor of Khartoum State, banning the transport of goods across the state’s western borders. The RSF Advisory Council had previously issued Decision No. (15/2024) prohibiting the passage of food commodities, livestock, and minerals to areas under SAF control, with penalties including imprisonment, fines, and confiscation.
The Committee for Justice expressed deep concern over the use of restrictions on the movement of goods and essential supplies in a manner that effectively results in the siege of civilians and the denial of access to food and medicine, thereby exacerbating humanitarian risks and threatening the lives of populations in conflict‑affected areas.
CFJ stressed that the starvation of civilians and the obstruction of access to essential goods and humanitarian assistance constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law, which prohibits the use of starvation as a method of warfare and obliges parties to a conflict to allow the passage of humanitarian relief and goods indispensable for the survival of the civilian population.
The Committee for Justice calls on both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to immediately lift all restrictions on the movement of food, medicine, and essential commodities, and to ensure unhindered access for humanitarian aid and vital supplies to all affected areas. CFJ also urges the international community and humanitarian organizations to intensify their efforts and respond urgently to the worsening humanitarian situation in North Kordofan before it develops into a large‑scale catastrophe.
