Sudan: the RSF has renewed a major offensive around al-Obeid. Rapid Support Forces launched drone and ground attacks on the strategically important North Kordofan city on August 12, while drones also returned to Khartoum, Bahri and Atbara after a period of relative calm. At least two people were killed in al-Obeid and others wounded.
Human cost: Roughly 500,000 civilians are at risk in and around al-Obeid, including about 100,000 displaced people. UNICEF reported last month that at least 330 children had already been killed or injured across Sudan during the first half of 2026, with Kordofan among the worst-hit regions.
Why it matters: This is more than another exchange of fire. Al-Obeid is a major logistical gateway between central Sudan and Darfur. The U.N. Security Council had already warned that an RSF assault could turn the city into “another El Fasher”—a reference to the mass atrocities associated with the RSF capture of that Darfur city. The renewed attack suggests that feared offensive may now be gathering momentum.
Meanwhile, a cross-border cholera emergency is accelerating across West and Central Africa. UNICEF says active outbreaks are rapidly spreading through Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic and Republic of Congo, driven by flooding, displacement and movement along major river and trade corridors.
Human cost: Nigeria has recorded more than 50,000 cases and 338 deaths in 2026, while the DRC has reported more than 30,400 cases and nearly 700 deaths. Children make up an unusually large proportion of infections in several countries—including nearly two-thirds of cases in Chad among those under 15.
Why it matters: UNICEF says the outbreak is no longer behaving as a collection of isolated national epidemics. It is moving across borders through the Lake Chad and Congo River basins, putting millions of children at risk and increasing the possibility of a much larger regional health emergency during the rainy season.
