Sudan Media Forum
By Siddiq Al-Dakhri
EL OBEID, North Kordofan, July 16, 2025 — (Mashawir) — Displaced people from the states of South and West Kordofan have endured a harsh journey, spending three to four nights travelling on foot to reach new destinations. Stranded on the roads, women have borne the brunt of the suffering.
Since fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), areas in South Kordofan have become battlegrounds, forcing thousands of residents into widespread and repeated displacement.
For displaced women, a lack of vitamins, poor nutrition, and missed vaccinations during pregnancy have led to a rise in miscarriages. Dozens of mothers fainted along the way while fleeing, while others bled to death searching for a medical centre.
A Catastrophic Situation
Safia Al-Ubaid, a resident of the city of Al-Nuhud, told Mashawir that “the situation worsened in an unprecedented way after the Rapid Support Forces invaded the city. The health sector collapsed due to looting, pillaging, and as medical staff fled.”
She added, “After a month, the health situation in Al-Nuhud became catastrophic, with most hospitals no longer operational and a severe shortage of medical supplies and medicine. Furthermore, with no safe corridors or ambulances, there is no way to save the lives of vulnerable women, particularly pregnant women and patients with kidney failure or diabetes.”
Al-Ubaid continued, “There is a shortage of medical supplies, medicines, and healthcare staff, leading to a rise in conditions among pregnant women such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and strokes.”
She explained, “Hundreds of displaced women are suffering severely. Several deaths have been recorded among them due to malnutrition, poisoning, dengue fever, and typhoid, as well as from childbirth complications and miscarriages.”
Tragedies and Crises
Nawal Al-Naeim, who fled with her family from the Al-Fula area in West Kordofan, told Mashawir they “suffered immensely on their journey. They left the city on a cart, passing through villages. From there, they took trucks to the Abu Haraz area before finally making it to El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan.”
She noted that “most women in the surrounding villages suffer terribly from chronic illnesses. Sometimes we hear women crying, and we are helpless to do anything for their families. It’s heartbreaking and painful.”
Al-Naeim added that “breastfeeding mothers are among the most affected by the war’s fallout. They faced numerous hardships on their journey before they could reach any hospitals.”
She added, “Five women miscarried on the journey from the city of Al-Fula, before we even reached the capital of North Kordofan, due to the lack of healthcare.”
Facing Death
A citizen, identified only as A.K., recounted how he was driving his pregnant wife, trying to reach the nearest open emergency room from the Al-Ahmar area, west of Dubeibat. However, at a checkpoint past the village of Awlad Younis, soldiers in RSF uniforms stopped them, demanding they get out and hand over the car keys. After learning there was a patient in the car and after much pleading, the soldiers seized his car but provided a three-wheeled rickshaw at their own expense so he could continue searching for a hospital for his wife.
A.K. continued, “My wife was in agony from the pain and the long journey. By the time we reached the hospital in Abu Zabad, the doctors decided she needed a therapeutic abortion and a blood transfusion.”
He added that “women and girls trapped in active conflict zones, unable to flee, are living a painful reality. They face death due to the collapsing health situation and lack of medicine.”
Fear and Panic
Wisal Mohamed Al-Sharif, a displaced woman who used to live in the Dubeibat area of South Kordofan, told Mashawir, “After the Rapid Support Forces took the area back from the Sudanese army, and as violations mounted, we grew more and more afraid of being killed, raped, or subjected to sexual violence, so we decided to flee to El Obeid.”
She added, “On our journey, we couldn’t find any transportation. After four hours of walking, I was exhausted and couldn’t catch my breath. The road was crowded with thousands fleeing the ravages of the armed conflict. After a great deal of effort, we finally managed to get a ride in a car.”
She explained that “the hospital was overwhelmed with hundreds of pregnant women. After a difficult, hours-long wait, I finally had a medical exam. It showed the foetus had no heartbeat, and I needed an emergency procedure to stop the bleeding and save my life.”
She continued, “The doctors managed to perform the procedure. I was the sixth woman to require such an operation at the hospital that day. The doctor said my miscarriage was caused by the exhausting journey and the terror I experienced.”
Contributing Factors
Obstetrics and gynaecology specialist Mubarak Al-Zubair explained that “the war has exacerbated the suffering of women in Kordofan. They endure numerous violations and a severe lack of healthcare, which has fuelled a rise in miscarriages. These are caused by fear and panic from artillery and air bombardment, as well as psychological trauma, repeated displacement, and malnutrition.”
Speaking to Mashawir, he added, “The scarcity of medicine, vitamins, and nutritional supplements essential for women in their first trimester, along with a lack of necessary vaccinations, has directly led to an increase in miscarriages.”
Al-Zubair explained that “during these journeys of displacement, women are forced to flee or walk long distances, often carrying heavy belongings. This physical strain can cause immediate bleeding and high blood pressure in pregnant women, potentially leading to a full placental abruption and consequently, a miscarriage.”
The Sudan Media Forum and its member institutions are publishing this material prepared by Mashawir to highlight the harrowing suffering experienced by pregnant women and mothers in the states of South and North Kordofan due to the consequences of the war. Doctors point to an increase in cases of miscarriage among displaced women, which requires urgent intervention.
