United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk has warned that another humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in the Sudanese city of el-Obeid, calling for urgent international action to prevent an anticipated attack by paramilitary forces.
During an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Friday, Turk urged global leaders to intervene and stop potential atrocities in the city.
“The signs from el-Obeid are clear and unmistakable: Another human rights catastrophe is unfolding in Sudan, this time in the capital of the strategic state of North Kordofan,” Turk stated.
“Civilians have been subjected to siege-like conditions for 18 months, battered by relentless drone attacks as the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces battle for control over areas surrounding the city.
“This is not a drill. It is a red alert that needs to land on the desks of heads of state and government around the world.
“Their phones should be running hot in the coming days and weeks, with ideas on how to prevent atrocity crimes in el-Obeid and in other places in Kordofan.”
The UN’s top human rights body held a rare urgent debate on the situation around el-Obeid following a request by the United Kingdom on behalf of a group of European nations.
Sudan’s conflict erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Kordofan – home to oil deposits and the RSF’s most powerful allied forces – remains a key battleground.
El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, sits on a strategic route linking RSF-held territories in western Darfur to army-controlled eastern regions.
A city of approximately half a million people hosting nearly 100,000 war-displaced refugees, el-Obeid has recently faced its most intense RSF assaults to date.
After breaking a prolonged siege in February last year, the army has struggled to prevent the RSF from reimposing a blockade through drone strikes on the city and the main highway out.
Recent attacks have targeted the main power station and fuel depots, cutting electricity to neighborhoods and shutting down water pumps, leading to critical shortages of clean water.
At least 45 people were killed and 41 others injured in 15 drone attacks in and around el-Obeid between June 6 and 28, according to the UN human rights office.
The European countries that called for the emergency debate plan to present a draft resolution to the 47-member rights council.
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