Multiple outlets report that the UN and several governments are warning of an imminent risk of mass atrocities in Sudan’s El-Obeid, a major city in North Kordofan, as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) encircle the area. The UN Security Council and UN officials urge the RSF to halt any attack or advance on the city, warning that the situation could trigger large-scale rights violations. Al Jazeera and RFI also report concerns from the United States and allied countries, with calls for a negotiated solution and “maximum pressure” on the RSF. France 24 describes civilians trapped inside the siege, reporting worsening humanitarian conditions, including strikes, damage to water infrastructure, and growing fears of famine as food supplies run low. RFI and the West Australian describe UN concern about the potential for another bloodbath as fighting escalates in the region between the RSF and the regular army. Several European countries are reported to have urged an immediate halt to violence against El-Obeid. Across the reports, officials cite escalating violence and credible warnings of severe civilian harm, alongside shortages of food and water.
UN warns of imminent mass atrocities as RSF surrounds El-Obeid in Sudan
Multiple outlets report that the UN and several governments are warning of an imminent risk of mass atrocities in Sudan’s El-Obeid, a major city in North Kordofan, as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) en...
- The UN Security Council warns of an imminent risk of mass atrocities in El-Obeid, North Kordofan.
- The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are encircling or advancing around El-Obeid as fighting continues in the region.
- The UN calls on the RSF to halt its advance or not launch an attack on the city.
- Governments including the United States, UN allies, and several European countries urge pressure on RSF and/or an immediate halt to attacks.
- Civilians inside El-Obeid report worsening humanitarian conditions, including damaged water infrastructure and shortages of food.
The UN has raised the alarm over a worsening humanitarian crisis in El-Obeid, a city besieged by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, where many civilians are dying amid relentless attacks. FRANCE 24 correspondent Bastien Renoul spoke to residents trapped inside, who describe bombed water infrastructure, constant strikes and growing fears of famine as food supplies run out.
1 month agoAtrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia against Sudanese civilians in El Fasher in October – including mass killings, abductions and gang rapes – bear the markers of genocide, independent UN human rights investigators reported on Wednesday.
1 month agoUN warns of 'catastrophe' in el-Obeid after RSF atrocities in el-Fasher last year.
1 month agoClick to expand Image Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, June 16, 2025. © 2025 Lian Yi/Xinhua via Getty Images The UN Human Rights Council held an emergency session today on the imminent risk of atrocities in and around Sudan’s El Obeid, a city in North Kordofan. The session follows an appeal by rights groups for the Council to exercise its prevention mandate by meeting in anticipation, rather than the aftermath, of another round of devastating atrocities in Sudan’s conflict.The UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan has reported an increasing and apparently indiscriminate barrage of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) drone attacks in and around El-Obeid, noting that “hospitals, markets, schools, and residential areas have also reportedly been struck, causing civilian casualties and disrupting essential services.”These reports are eerily reminiscent of the weeks preceding the RSF’s assault on El Fasher, which the UN Fact-Finding Mission concluded bore the “hallmarks of genocide.” The RSF’s modus operandi is clear: it must be stopped.The session witnessed increased calls for action to address external support for the RSF, notably by the UAE, whose support to the RSF has been spotlighted again in recent months. UN actors and states called on those providing military support to the RSF to stop, and to use their influence to prevent further atrocities, clearly alluding to but failing to call out the UAE explicitly.Both the Fact-Finding Mission and the UN Human Rights Office said they are investigating the role of external actors and the war economy fueling atrocities in Sudan, and the High Commissioner highlighted the need for greater scrutiny of “foreign players […] benefiting from the carnage.”A resolution will be adopted by the Human Rights Council on Monday, which is expected to urge an immediate halt to atrocities by all parties to the conflict, call for an end to external support, including the deployment of foreign forces and supply of weapons, and request the Fact-Finding Mission to conduct an urgent inquiry on El Obeid.But this won’t be enough. Further urgent and decisive action is needed to prevent atrocities in and around El Obeid and across Sudan, and to advance accountability.States from all regions should work together to deploy a protection of civilians’ mission, expand both the arms embargo and ICC jurisdiction to the whole of Sudan, and expand sanctions targeting those responsible for serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Sudan.The imminent risk of further atrocities in Sudan is crystal clear as are the measures the international community must take today to prevent them.
1 month agoAs RSF troops besiege el-Obeid, 500,000 civilians face mass atrocities amid drone strikes and a stalled peace process.
1 month agoThe emergency session follows warnings that 500,000 civilians around el-Obeid are at risk of large-scale atrocities.
1 month ago
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