U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Friday urged world leaders and the U.N. Security Council to take immediate action to prevent mass atrocities in Sudan, warning that civilians in the strategic city of El Obeid face an escalating humanitarian and human rights crisis.
Addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Türk said fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had left civilians trapped under what he described as siege-like conditions for the past 18 months.
“The signs from El Obeid are clear and unmistakable: another human rights catastrophe is unfolding,” Türk said.
According to the U.N. human rights office, at least 45 civilians were killed and 41 injured in 15 drone strikes on El Obeid and surrounding areas between June 6 and June 28. It said the actual death toll was likely higher.
Türk said drones used by both the SAF and the RSF had repeatedly struck civilian infrastructure across the Kordofan region, including markets, schools, fuel stations, water facilities and civilian vehicles. The U.N. documented damage to at least 13 fuel stations in El Obeid and Al Rahad from RSF drone attacks in recent weeks.
The strikes, coupled with fuel shortages, have disrupted access to clean water, food, healthcare and transportation, while shortages of drinking water have raised concerns over the spread of waterborne diseases, including cholera, as the rainy season begins, he said.
The U.N. rights office also said it had documented summary executions, abductions, torture, sexual violence and looting targeting displaced civilians along routes across the Kordofan region. Reuters could not independently verify the allegations.
Türk warned that the international community must not allow a repeat of atrocities similar to those that occurred in North Darfur last year.
He said the U.N. human rights office had assessed that at least 6,000 people were killed over three days when the RSF captured El Fasher, adding that the paramilitary group and allied militias had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including mass killings, summary executions, torture and sexual violence. Reuters could not independently verify the casualty figures or the allegations.
Calling on the U.N. Security Council to act, Türk urged international leaders to pressure all parties, particularly the RSF, to halt attacks on El Obeid, end strikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure, stop the flow of weapons into Sudan and comply with international humanitarian law.
He also called for safe passage for civilians wishing to leave El Obeid and for a humanitarian pause to allow aid agencies to deliver food and other essential supplies.
Türk welcomed the continued work of the International Criminal Court on alleged crimes committed in Sudan and called for greater accountability through international legal mechanisms.
He also urged the international community to curb the flow of weapons into Sudan, saying continued arms supplies to the warring parties risked prolonging the conflict indefinitely. He repeated his call for the U.N. arms embargo on Darfur to be expanded to cover the entire country.
Sudan descended into civil war in April 2023 following a power struggle between the SAF and the RSF. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced more than 12 million and triggered what the United Nations describes as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Both sides have been accused of committing serious human rights abuses, allegations they have repeatedly denied.
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