Another human rights catastrophe is unfolding around the besieged Sudanese city of al-Obeid, the United Nations human rights chief warned on Friday, raising alarm over mounting atrocities and the risk of a worsening humanitarian disaster.
Al-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, has become the latest flashpoint in Sudan's civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict, which began more than three years ago, has displaced millions of people across the country.
Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said conditions around the city resembled those seen in other areas devastated by the conflict.
“The signs from al-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 said.
According to Türk, residents of al-Obeid have endured siege-like conditions for the past 18 months, facing severe shortages of clean water while also coming under repeated drone attacks.
His office has documented what he described as a pattern of serious human rights violations along routes used by people fleeing violence across the Kordofan region.
These include summary executions, abductions, torture and sexual violence, he said.
Türk warned the international community against allowing a repeat of the atrocities witnessed in al-Fashir in neighbouring North Darfur, where thousands were reportedly killed following the city's capture by RSF forces last year.
Friday's council session was requested by Britain, whose diplomats have repeatedly expressed concern about reports of RSF forces massing around al-Obeid.
The city has become a refuge for people displaced by fighting in other parts of Sudan and now hosts about 500,000 residents, including more than 83,000 internally displaced people.
Britain's Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, urged governments to act before the situation deteriorates further.
“The international community must rise to the moment,” Cooper said, warning that al-Obeid must not become “the next senseless tragedy”.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said a full-scale assault on the city could trigger another major wave of displacement at a time when humanitarian agencies are already overstretched.
According to the IOM, more than 219,000 people have been newly displaced across the wider Kordofan region since February, with the number rising by nearly two-thirds in recent months.
As the conflict has evolved, drone attacks have become an increasingly important part of military operations.
The UN human rights office said at least 45 civilians were killed and 41 injured in 15 drone strikes carried out in al-Obeid and surrounding areas between 6 June and 28 June.
Humanitarian organisations and rights groups say the growing use of drones has heightened risks for civilians, particularly in densely populated urban areas.
The RSF has repeatedly said its operations around al-Obeid are military in nature and that it does not intentionally target civilians. The group has also stated that individuals responsible for abuses will be held accountable.
The force did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the latest allegations.
Sudan's conflict, which erupted between the army and the RSF, has drawn widespread international condemnation and multiple allegations of war crimes.
Human rights organisations have accused both sides of committing abuses during the conflict. The RSF, however, has faced particular scrutiny over reported atrocities and ethnic violence, especially in its traditional stronghold of Darfur.
In al-Fashir, the UN human rights office reported that at least 6,000 people were killed in just three days after RSF forces captured the city during a major offensive last October.
UN investigators concluded that RSF fighters and allied militias committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including mass killings, summary executions, torture and sexual violence.
A draft resolution under consideration at the UN Human Rights Council strongly condemns escalating violence in and around al-Obeid and expresses concern about the risk of large-scale atrocities.
Meanwhile, Sudan's foreign minister in the army-aligned government, Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim, urged the international community to take concrete steps to halt the flow of advanced weapons and military equipment to the RSF.
With violence intensifying and humanitarian needs growing, UN officials warned that, without swift international action, al-Obeid could become the latest city in Sudan to suffer a devastating escalation of the country's long-running war.
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