Key facts
- UN human rights chief Volker Turk described a human rights catastrophe unfolding in al-Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan.
- Civilians in al-Obeid have been subjected to siege-like conditions for 18 months.
- The UN human rights office recorded at least 45 civilian deaths and 41 injuries from 15 drone strikes between June 6-28.
- Britain called for an urgent debate at the UN Human Rights Council on the situation in the region.
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk stated that another human rights catastrophe is unfolding in al-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state in Sudan. He urged the international community to act, describing civilians enduring siege-like conditions for 18 months with critical shortages of clean water amid ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for control of areas surrounding the city.
The UN human rights office recorded at least 45 civilian deaths and 41 injuries resulting from 15 drone strikes in and around al-Obeid between June 6 and June 28. The urgent debate at the UN Human Rights Council was called by Britain, whose envoy had previously warned of potential large-scale atrocities due to reports of RSF forces massing around al-Obeid, potentially escalating the conflict.