Features|Sudan warAs Sudanese city returns to life after two-year siege, drone threat lingersMarkets reopen in Dilling, South Kordofan’s second largest city. Yet residents face critical medical shortages and persistent aerial attacks.

Life is gradually returning to Dilling, South Kordofan's second-largest city, following the Sudanese army's successful lifting of a prolonged siege. The city, encircled for over two years by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), had its supply lines cut, resulting in a severe humanitarian crisis.

The lifting of the blockade has facilitated the resumption of trade, with local markets witnessing a return of fresh produce, such as okra, potatoes, and chillies. However, the prolonged isolation has left lasting damage on the local economy, depleting residents' savings and deteriorating infrastructure.

Although food supplies have improved, the health sector in Dilling remains critically affected. The main hospital faces a shortage of essential medical equipment and medicines. This shortage has had dire consequences, particularly for vulnerable individuals like Abdelrahman, a diabetic resident who lost both his legs due to a lack of insulin during the siege.

Despite the army's control over access routes, Dilling continues to experience security challenges. Authorities report frequent drone strikes by RSF and SPLM-N, targeting infrastructure and residential areas. This ongoing threat disrupts daily life for residents, who live under the constant fear of aerial attacks.

Maryam, a displaced resident, describes the terror caused by the drones, which force families to abandon their homes and possessions to escape bombardment.

While the lifting of the siege offers a potential path towards recovery, the combined challenges of rebuilding the healthcare system and ongoing military threats indicate that the situation in Dilling remains precarious.

Based on reporting by Al Jazeera.