Key facts
- UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned of impending atrocities as RSF forces close in on El Obeid, Sudan.
- The offensive risks serious international crimes and threatens to deepen the humanitarian crisis, with millions displaced and facing famine.
- UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged international intervention to prevent a repeat of atrocities seen in El Fasher.
- 38 aid groups have called for urgent action to prevent 'atrocities' and for the UN Human Rights Council to convene a debate and send a fact-finding mission.
- NGOs also called for condemnation of external actors supporting the warring parties, specifically mentioning the UAE's alleged support for the RSF.
Global powers are intensifying efforts to prevent further atrocities in Sudan as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia and allied troops reportedly build up around El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state. The UN's top human rights official, Volker Türk, issued an urgent warning that an imminent offensive carries the risk of serious international crimes and could deepen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
Türk stated that the situation mirrors the atrocities documented in El Fasher and the Zamzam displacement camp last year, warning that the same pattern is unfolding in North Kordofan. He urged states with influence to act immediately to "stop this madness." The offensive follows weeks of intensified drone strikes on El Obeid, which have targeted fuel stations and trucks, killing civilians and cutting off essential services.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres echoed these concerns, expressing alarm over a possible "imminent ground offensive" and urging all parties with influence to prevent further bloodshed. He stressed that the international community must not allow the horrors of El Fasher to be repeated in El Obeid. Humanitarian workers continue to provide aid in the region despite the deteriorating security situation, but a humanitarian worker was recently killed by drone strikes.
In parallel, 38 aid groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, issued an open letter calling for urgent international action to prevent "atrocities" in El Obeid. They urged the UN Human Rights Council to convene an urgent debate, send a fact-finding mission, and advance accountability for violations committed in Sudan. The NGOs also called for the condemnation of external actors supporting the warring parties, specifically naming the United Arab Emirates as a backer of the RSF, a charge the UAE denies.
The conflict, which began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, has displaced over 13 million people and pushed millions to the brink of famine. El Obeid has been under siege-like conditions for over 18 months.