UN warns of looming rights disaster in Sudan's el-Obeid
Volker Turk urged world leaders to act as the UN rights office reported deadly drone attacks and worsening shortages in the North Kordofan city.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk warned Friday that Sudan’s city of el-Obeid faces a worsening threat to civilians as rival forces fight for control around it. Speaking to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Turk urged governments to act quickly to help prevent atrocity crimes, according to AFP and Reuters.
Turk told the council that the situation in el-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, showed another human rights disaster was taking shape in Sudan. He said civilians had endured siege-like conditions for 18 months while the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces battled in areas around the city.
The Human Rights Council held a rare urgent debate on the human rights situation around el-Obeid after the United Kingdom made a request on behalf of a group of countries, AFP and Reuters reported. European countries that sought the debate are preparing a draft resolution for the 47-member council, according to the reports.
Strategic city under pressure
Sudan’s war began in April 2023 between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, according to AFP and Reuters. Kordofan remains a central battleground because it contains oil deposits and because the RSF’s strongest paramilitary allies are based there, the agencies reported.
El-Obeid lies on a route connecting RSF-controlled parts of Darfur in the west with areas in the east held by the army, according to AFP and Reuters. The city has about 500,000 residents and is also sheltering nearly 100,000 people displaced by the war, the agencies reported.
AFP and Reuters reported that el-Obeid has faced its heaviest RSF attacks in recent weeks. The army ended a long siege in February last year, but has since struggled to stop the RSF from trying to restore a blockade through drone attacks on the city and the main road leading out, according to the reports.
Drone strikes and shortages
Recent strikes hit the main power station and fuel depots, cutting electricity in neighborhoods and forcing water pumps offline, AFP and Reuters reported. Those attacks have contributed to severe shortages of clean water, according to the agencies.
The UN human rights office said at least 45 people were killed and 41 others wounded in 15 drone attacks in el-Obeid and nearby areas between June 6 and June 28. Turk told the council that world leaders should use the coming days and weeks to press for steps that could prevent further crimes in el-Obeid and elsewhere in Kordofan.
The warning came as aid needs in and around the city remained acute. A photo distributed by AFP showed women and children lining up for free food on June 29 at the al-Mohayra camp for displaced people near el-Obeid in Sudan’s South Kordofan region.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.