UN Warns of 'New Catastrophe' in Sudan's Besieged El Obeid Amid Escalating Violence
Translated from Serbian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warns of a new human rights catastrophe unfolding around the besieged city of El Obeid in Sudan.
- Civilians in El Obeid have endured 18 months of siege, drone attacks, and critical shortages of water, with documented mass executions, kidnappings, and sexual violence in the region.
- International bodies are calling for urgent action to prevent mass atrocities, as a potential offensive on El Obeid could displace hundreds of thousands more amid an already strained humanitarian situation.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Tรผrk, has issued a stark warning about a burgeoning human rights catastrophe centered around the strategic city of El Obeid in Sudan. He urged the international community to take immediate action to avert mass atrocities as the conflict intensifies.
a new human rights catastrophe is unfolding around the besieged strategic city of El Obeid, and called for urgent action from the world to prevent mass crimes.
El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, has become a critical flashpoint in the ongoing three-year war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Civilians within the city have been subjected to an 18-month siege, persistent drone attacks, and a severe lack of clean water. The High Commissioner's office has documented widespread human rights abuses, including mass executions, abductions, and sexual violence targeting displaced populations across the Kordofan region.
the world must not allow El Obeid to become 'another senseless tragedy' and called for an urgent international response.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper echoed these concerns, stating that the world must not allow El Obeid to become another "senseless tragedy" and called for an urgent global response. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) further cautioned that a full-scale assault on El Obeid, home to approximately half a million people, could lead to the renewed displacement of hundreds of thousands. This comes at a time when humanitarian operations are already stretched to their limits, with the number of newly displaced people in Kordofan having surged by nearly two-thirds since February to over 219,000.
a general offensive on El Obeid, which is inhabited by about half a million people, could once again displace hundreds of thousands of civilians, at a time when humanitarian operations are already at the limit of their endurance.
Recent data from the UN Office of Human Rights reveals a grim reality: between June 6 and June 28 alone, 15 drone attacks in and around El Obeid resulted in the deaths of at least 45 civilians and injured 41. Human rights organizations accuse both warring factions of committing war crimes, with the RSF facing specific allegations of repeated atrocities and ethnic violence. The UN Security Council is currently considering a resolution condemning the escalating violence by the RSF around El Obeid, while Sudan's Foreign Minister has called for international pressure to halt the flow of advanced weaponry to the paramilitary group.
between June 6 and June 28, in 15 drone attacks in El Obeid and its surroundings, at least 45 civilians were killed and 41 were injured.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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