NAIROBI
The UN said Friday that it had documented the killing of at least 45 civilians in El Obeid, the capital of Sudan’s North Kordofan state, on June 6-28, warning of a “human rights catastrophe” in the city.
“Another human rights catastrophe is unfolding in Sudan, this time in the capital of the strategic state of North Kordofan,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk told a human rights session in Geneva.
“Civilians have been subjected to siege-like conditions for 18 months, battered by relentless drone strikes as the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) battle for control over areas surrounding the city,” Turk said.
He said his office documented 15 drone attacks on El Obeid and its surroundings on June 6-28, killing at least 45 civilians and injuring 41 others, adding that the actual toll is likely higher.
“Across the Kordofan region, drones launched by both sides have repeatedly struck markets, schools, fuel stations, water infrastructure, and civilian vehicles,” he added.
He also said 13 fuel stations were damaged in recent weeks in both El Obeid and Al-Rahad, worsening the fuel crisis.
“We have documented patterns of summary executions, abductions, torture and ill-treatment, sexual violence, and looting along the routes taken by displaced people across the Kordofan region,” the UN official said.
He called on the international community to act urgently to prevent “atrocity crimes” in El Obeid and urged the UN Security Council to fulfill its responsibilities.
“All leaders must use their influence to exert pressure on all parties, and particularly the RSF, to stop an offensive on El Obeid,” Turk said.
For about two weeks, El Obeid has witnessed drone attacks by the paramilitary RSF targeting the main power station, fuel stations and other civilian sites, killing and injuring dozens of people.
UN, regional and international organizations, and countries including the US have warned of possible atrocities amid reports of RSF military buildups around El Obeid.
In May, the UN warned of escalating drone attacks in the Kordofan region, saying strikes killed at least 880 civilians this January to April.
Sudan’s three Kordofan states – North, West and South Kordofan – have witnessed fierce clashes between the army and the RSF since last October.
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since 2023, when fighting erupted between the army and the RSF over plans to integrate the paramilitary force into the military. The war has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, killing tens of thousands and displacing nearly 13 million people.
