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Country: Sudan Source: Médecins Sans Frontières We highlight the humanitarian situation in El Obeid, North Kordofan, a home to around 500,000 people. Based on a recent field visit by our teams, who witnessed firsthand how the conflict is affecting people’s daily lives. The frontline is less than 40 kilometers from the city, and drone strikes have increased in recent weeks, targeting both El Obeid and the main road leading to the city. These attacks are adding a lot of pressure on already weak essential services, increasing fuel and transport costs, and making it difficult for people to access safe drinking water, shelter and lifesaving care. We spoke with Liesbeth AELBRECHT, MSF Emergency Coordinator and here are the excerpts: Why is El Obeid attracting attention now? The vast Kordofan region, in south-central Sudan, has remained one of the most volatile and active conflict zones of the three-year-old long war in Sudan. North Kordofan state is at the centre of the hostilities and its capital, El Obeid, with about half a million inhabitants, has become a refuge for about 100,000 displaced civilians fleeing violence elsewhere1. This is coupled with being one of the least accessible regions for humanitarian organisations. ​ The frontline is less than 40 kilometres away. In June, the UN sounded alarms on the potential consequences of a large-scale attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following reports about the mobilisation of troops2. Drone attacks by the RSF have intensified in recent weeks in and around the city. According to data from the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO), North Kordofan has been the state receiving the highest number of drone strikes in 2026, with at least 141 recorded attacks until 8 July. More than half of these attacks (51%) have taken place since June, and the vast majority hit El Obeid, followed by the main road leading to the city from the east. How is the situation in the city? There is a real sense of fear among people in El Obeid. Drone strikes are not limited to military targets. They very often hit civilian areas, killing and injuring civilians. Since June, strikes hit schools, a market, fuel stations and supplies, water points and the main power station of El Obeid, causing major disruption to the city’s electricity supply and blackouts, although the network has been somehow reestablished. Drone attacks are impacting basic services, rising transport and fuel costs, and limiting access to safe drinking water and healthcare. There are almost no remaining functional fuel stations and the price of one litre of gasoline has reached nearly 15 USD, and it can be even higher in the black market. The water situation is also critical with many people waiting for hours to collect water, and the prices of the barrels are skyrocketing too. El Obeid now depends mainly on seasonal dams and a small number of urban boreholes. In one of the camps for displaced people I recently visited, families are surviving on a little over one litre of water per person per day, there is too few latrines and widespread open defecation. People are struggling to afford even basic healthcare. Hospitals running without reliable backup power are suffering from power rationing and are at risk of having to close some life-saving services. They are in need of more generators and depend on fuel, which is no longer available. In addition, they also suffer from lack of water. Access to medicines remains a challenge and is costly, the referral of patients can be difficult because of insecurity and transport costs and delays in seeking care often result in patients arriving in more severe condition. The repeated attacks are making humanitarian operations increasingly difficult. Insecurity limits the ability of teams to move safely, and restrictions on travel permits, and road movements can cause further delay. ​ Are people leaving El Obeid? We observe that regular bus movements are still running and that the road remains passable. However, many people cannot afford to leave or are possibly afraid to move because the main road out of the city is frequently targeted by drones. We are not currently observing a large-scale movement of people leaving El Obeid towards neighbouring White Nile state, situated about 100 kilometres away. However, should people decide to leave El Obeid, they must be granted safe passage and access to shelter, safety and medical care whenever they need it. What is MSF concerned about? The situation is very difficult, especially for displaced people. Many families are struggling to meet their basic needs and live in crowded places with poor shelter, and very little access to water and sanitation, leading to poor hygiene. We are particularly worried about access to safe drinking water as many people are using unsafe water sources. With the rainy season starting, conditions will get worse and the risk of diseases like cholera will increase. Cholera was first reported in neighbouring West Kordofan state in late May. In North Kordofan, dozens of suspected cholera cases have since been reported, raising serious concerns that the outbreak may be spreading into the state. Malnutrition is already high, especially among children, making people more vulnerable to illness. ​ The recent escalation once again places civilians in the middle of the conflict. After more than three years of violence, displacement, and loss, people are simply exhausted. In one of the camps, I met a lady who had fled from El Fasher last year. She walked 21 days to reach El Obeid. She arrived barefoot after witnessing unimaginable suffering along the way and now she is again on the brink of an extremely difficult situation here. Her story is just one of many stories of this unbelievable, incredible resilience, but it is also a reminder of the immense human cost of this conflict. As fighting intensifies in and around El Obeid, we call on RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces to ensure the protection of civilians, as well as of aid workers trying to support the population. What is MSF

Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo Source: Médecins Sans Frontières The Ebola disease outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo continues to outpace response efforts. In two months, this outbreak has become the third largest, and fastest growing, Ebola disease outbreak on record. Expanded international support is urgently needed to ensure the response is adequately resourced. BUNIA — Two months after the Ebola disease outbreak was officially declared in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), there have more than 2,000 confirmed cases and 750 deaths. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is calling for an urgent scale-up of the medical response. The epidemic continues to spread at an unprecedented pace and into new areas, while efforts to control it remain insufficient. “Every delay costs lives. We are still chasing the outbreak instead of staying ahead of it,” says Trish Newport, MSF emergency programme manager. “More people become infected, more families lose loved ones, and the epidemic becomes harder to contain. We need stronger, more coordinated international action to move faster and improve access to both Ebola care and other essential health services.” In just two months, the current Ebola disease outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, has become the third largest, and the fastest growing, Ebola outbreak on record. In less than five weeks, the number of confirmed cases has tripled, from 650 to nearly 2,000 as of 12 July. The number of deaths has increased more than fivefold, from 130 to over 700. The epidemic has already exceeded half the number of cases recorded during DRC’s 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak, which lasted almost two years. The situation is particularly alarming, as the outbreak continues to expand geographically. Limited access to medical care, an overstretched surveillance system, and increasing pressure on treatment centres mean that entire communities outside of major urban areas remain without adequate support. MSF is calling on health authorities and humanitarian organisations to swiftly increase resources across all aspects of the Ebola response, including community engagement, surveillance, testing and diagnosis, patient care, survivor support, and the safe and dignified management of bodies and burials. This must be done while ensuring that other urgent health needs are also addressed. Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, accounts for approximately 90 per cent of all confirmed cases. “In Mongbwalu [in Ituri], we are seeing the deadly human consequences of these gaps every day,” says Ayokunnu Raji, doctor and MSF medical program manager. “At the ebola treatment centre, we continue to see patients arriving in critical condition, little chance of survival.” “Since MSF started its Ebola response activities, we have treated 57 survivors, but more than 110 patients have died,” says Raji. “Increased national and international resources would help prevent further transmission and loss of life.” “In Bunia, the 90-bed Elikiya Ebola treatment centre is almost always operating at full capacity. People regularly tell us they prefer to wait at home and come only when a bed becomes available,” says Sylvie Kaczmarczyk, MSF emergency coordinator in Bunia. “As a result, we continue to receive patients who arrive late and are already critically ill.” “It is devastating to know that many of these deaths could have been prevented through earlier diagnosis and timely access to care and treatment,” says Kaczmarczyk. Bringing the response closer to communities While other medical organisations are working alongside the Ministry of Health in eastern DRC, significant gaps remain. DRC’s surveillance system is designed to detect cases early through strong community networks and the local health system. However, the current Ebola disease outbreak, combined with multiple other disease threats, has pushed the system to its limits. The key to slowing and ultimately stopping the spread of the epidemic is to bring the response closer to communities while boosting the medical response and surveillance system, so that cases can be identified and isolated as early as possible. Efforts to expand testing, contact tracing, and community engagement must also continue. The authorities in DRC and other countries are applying movement restrictions, including border closures, self-monitoring requirements and measures affecting humanitarian personnel, that create additional challenges for placing and rotating specialised Ebola staff. MSF currently runs seven Ebola treatment centres and more than 15 isolation units across Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tshopo provinces, with a combined capacity of more than 430 beds. Since the beginning of the outbreak and up to 14 July, our teams had admitted more than 968 patients, including 357 confirmed cases. We have also supported the recovery of 116 survivors, following treatment and care. In addition, MSF supports the Ministry of Health with surveillance and detection activities, community engagement, training, and efforts to ensure safe access to other essential healthcare services. Ebola: a crisis amid multiple emergencies The Ebola outbreak is unfolding in a context of armed conflict, displacement, and multiple concurrent health emergencies. Insecurity continues to restrict access to some communities, while MSF teams are simultaneously responding to other urgent medical needs, including cholera and malaria. The approaching rainy season is also expected to drive a surge in malaria cases, placing further strain on an already overstretched health system. It is crucial to accelerate efforts to improve access to Ebola care while ensuring the provision of other basic humanitarian assistance, including healthcare and water and sanitation services. “We cannot continue responding to the epidemic with the same limited resources while it continues to outpace us,” says Newport. “Only a robust, adequately resourced medical response that truly reflects the scale of needs on the ground can prevent this outbreak from becoming a crisis beyond our ability to contain. To achieve that, expanded international support is urgently needed. MSF’s Ebola disease outbreak response in DRC Since the start of the outbreak, MSF teams in Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tshopo provinces have established Ebola treatment centres in Bunia, Mongbwalu, Komanda, Goma, Butembo, Bukavu, and Lwiro, as well as more than 15 isolation units. Additional isolation and treatment facilities are being prepared across the affected provinces. MSF has also strengthened infection prevention and control measures in health facilities we