Sudan: UN warns of mass atrocities in El-Obeid

UN and Aid Groups Warn of Imminent Attack on Sudan's El Obeid

International alarm is growing over the risk of a major military assault on El Obeid, the capital of Sudan's North Kordofan state, with the United Nations, the United States, and dozens of aid organizations warning that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) may be preparing to attack the city. The warnings come as Sudan's civil war, which began in April 2023, continues to exact a heavy toll on civilians, with tens of thousands killed and millions displaced.

The UN Security Council issued a statement over the weekend expressing concern over the "imminent risk of mass atrocities" in Sudan as RSF forces advance on El Obeid. Council members demanded that the RSF immediately halt its assault on the city, which has been encircled by the paramilitary group for months. The statement highlighted reports of escalating fighting in the Kordofan states, warning that it risks worsening an "already dire humanitarian situation." The Council also expressed concern over reports of drone strikes carried out by the RSF in El Obeid and the increasing use of drones across Sudan by both parties to the conflict.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a separate alert, urging all those with influence over the parties to exert it to prevent further bloodshed. "We must not allow the horrors of El Fasher to be repeated in El Obeid," he said, referring to the RSF's capture of El Fasher in Darfur last year, which UN officials said bore "hallmarks of genocide." More than 6,000 people were killed in El Fasher over three days, according to UN estimates.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, also warned that an imminent offensive against El Obeid "risks commission of serious international crimes and deepens the catastrophic impact on an already beleaguered civilian population." Türk spoke out following reports of a significant build-up of RSF troops and allied forces around the city, accompanied by intensified drone strikes and artillery shelling.

The United States added its voice to the chorus of concern. The State Department said in a statement that the RSF and its allies were "massing forces" around El Obeid, warning that "alarming indications that mass atrocities could be imminent" would worsen Sudan's already catastrophic humanitarian crisis. The US called for a negotiated end to the conflict and urged the belligerents to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law.

In a separate development, the US president's envoy for African and Arab affairs, Massad Boulos, said he had held a "highly productive" meeting with the UN secretary general's personal envoy for Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, to discuss ways of ending the war and advancing a comprehensive political settlement. Boulos said he had also spoken directly with the RSF leadership, urging them to refrain from any actions that could endanger civilians in and around El Obeid.

A coalition of 38 humanitarian and civil society organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, issued an open letter demanding urgent international action to prevent atrocities. The letter warned that El Obeid, having faced 18 months of "siege-like conditions," is "at risk of an imminent ground offensive by the RSF and their allied forces." The groups urged the UN Human Rights Council to convene an urgent debate, send a fact-finding mission, and advance accountability for all violations committed in Sudan.

Dr. Mukesh Kapila, a former UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, warned that the crisis in El Obeid could be worse than what unfolded in El Fasher, but expressed hope that sustained international attention could help deter the RSF. A senior UN official, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacekeeping Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, told the Security Council that the window to avert a wider escalation in El Obeid is "rapidly narrowing." She said that a full-scale battle would put hundreds of thousands of civilians at immediate risk and trigger new displacement to areas already overstretched.

The humanitarian situation in Sudan remains catastrophic. UN humanitarian affairs office OCHA reports that the war has displaced more than 13 million people internally, while other UN statements cite over 11 million displaced. Tens of thousands have been killed. Nearly half of Sudan's population is facing food insecurity, and humanitarian access is severely constrained across much of the country.

The European Union has also warned that El Obeid must not be allowed to suffer the same fate as El Fasher, and seven European countries have called for an immediate halt to violence targeting the city.

The UN Security Council has called on all parties to immediately halt the fighting, protect civilians, comply with international law, and honour commitments made under the Jeddah Declaration. It also urged all UN member states to refrain from external interference that could fuel conflict and instability.

As the world watches, the window for preventive action appears to be closing. The UN Security Council's statement and the urgent appeals from aid agencies and diplomats underscore the gravity of the moment for the people of El Obeid and for Sudan as a whole.