United Nations Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk has issued an urgent warning that another major human rights catastrophe is unfolding in Sudan, with civilians trapped in and around the besieged city of Al-Obeid facing escalating violence, relentless drone attacks and worsening humanitarian conditions that mirror some of the darkest episodes of the country’s ongoing conflict.

Addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk disclosed that, the developments in Al-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, showed unmistakable signs of a rapidly deteriorating crisis that demands immediate international attention before further atrocities occur.

His warning coincides with the escalating conflict between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), whose bloody power battle began in April 2023 and is now in its fourth year. Communities all around Sudan have been ravaged by the fighting, which has led to one of the biggest displacement crises in history, widespread famine, the breakdown of vital services, and numerous accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Al-Obeid has emerged as one of the latest flashpoints in the war. The strategically important city has endured approximately 18 months of siege-like conditions, leaving civilians with severe shortages of clean drinking water and exposing residents to continuous attacks that have compounded an already desperate humanitarian situation.

According to the UN Human Rights Office, people fleeing violence across the wider Kordofan region have also encountered grave abuses while attempting to escape the fighting. Investigators have documented recurring patterns of summary executions, abductions, torture and sexual violence along displacement routes, underscoring the dangers confronting civilians both inside and outside conflict zones.

“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.”
Volker Türk

UN Human Rights Chief urged governments not to allow a repeat of the horrors that unfolded there, warning that early intervention is essential to prevent further mass civilian suffering.

The emergency meeting of the Human Rights Council was convened at the request of the United Kingdom, whose representatives have previously warned that as many as 500,000 civilians could face the risk of large-scale atrocities if violence around Al-Obeid continues to escalate.

The city has also become a refuge for thousands of people displaced from other parts of Sudan, increasing fears that any large-scale assault could result in catastrophic humanitarian consequences.

According to the UN human rights office, at least 45 civilians were killed and 41 others injured during 15 drone strikes carried out in Al-Obeid and surrounding communities between June 6 and June 28 alone.

The increased deployment of drones in inhabited areas, where civilian casualties are becoming more frequent, has sparked new worries as a result of these strikes.

UN Urges Global Action as War Crimes Allegations Mount

The deteriorating conditions in Al-Obeid have intensified international concern over accountability for serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law committed throughout Sudan’s conflict.

Human rights organisations and United Nations investigators have documented alleged abuses by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces during the war.

However, the RSF has faced particularly serious accusations relating to repeated attacks against civilians, especially in the western Darfur region, where reports of ethnically targeted violence have drawn widespread international condemnation.

The UN Human Rights Office has previously concluded that the RSF and allied militias committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during their assault on Al-Fashir, including mass killings, summary executions, torture and widespread sexual violence.

According to UN findings, at least 6,000 people were killed within just three days after RSF fighters captured the famine-stricken and besieged city in late October, highlighting the devastating consequences that can follow prolonged sieges and military offensives against densely populated urban centres.

It is this precedent that has heightened fears over developments in North Kordofan.

Türk’s warning signals concern that without decisive international action, Al-Obeid could become the next site of mass atrocities in Sudan’s protracted conflict.

Moroever, Sudan’s Foreign Minister, Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim, whose government is has called on the international community to take stronger measures against the Rapid Support Forces.

He urged governments to exert concrete pressure to halt the supply of advanced military equipment and weapons to the RSF, arguing that continued external support enables the paramilitary group to sustain military operations that have intensified civilian suffering.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation remains equally alarming. After nearly a year and a half under siege-like conditions, access to clean water in Al-Obeid has become critically limited, while ongoing insecurity continues to disrupt humanitarian operations and restrict civilians’ movement.

Thousands of families who had previously fled fighting elsewhere in Sudan now find themselves trapped once again, facing renewed violence with limited access to food, healthcare and other essential services.