UN Warns Sudan Women Face Deadly Risks Fetching Water
GENEVA-Women and girls in Sudan’s besieged city of Al-Obeid face life-threatening dangers when collecting water, confronting drone attacks during the day and the risk of rape and other sexual violence after dark, UN Women said on Friday.
The warning comes as fighting intensifies in Al-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, where access to food, clean water and healthcare has been severely restricted amid ongoing clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The conflict, now in its fourth year, has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, marked by widespread displacement and repeated reports of sexual violence and other human rights abuses.
Anna Mutavati, UN Women Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, said women and girls have been subjected to harassment, rape and other forms of sexual violence while attempting to collect water, describing access to water as one of the most fundamental human rights.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said earlier this month that civilians in Al-Obeid had endured siege-like conditions for the past 18 months, with severe shortages of clean water and persistent drone attacks. He warned that the deteriorating situation risked repeating the atrocities witnessed in Al-Fashir in North Darfur last year.
According to UN Women, there is effectively no safe time for women and girls to collect water in Al-Obeid. Drone strikes targeting water sources during daylight hours have forced many residents to venture out after nightfall, exposing them to heightened risks of sexual violence.
UN Women estimates that 12.7 million women and girls across Sudan will require gender-based violence support services this year, a fourfold increase since the conflict began.
While the agency did not provide figures specific to Al-Obeid, it said the city is home to approximately 500,000 people, around 70% of whom are women and children, indicating a substantial need for protection and support services.
The agency also warned that funding shortages are undermining the humanitarian response. According to a UN Women survey, two-thirds of women-led organizations in Sudan reported that safe spaces and services for survivors of gender-based violence have either closed or been significantly reduced because of financial constraints.
