The United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday ordered an “urgent investigation” into violations and abuses in the Sudanese city of El Obeid, warning of an imminent risk of “large-scale atrocities.”
El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State in central Sudan, has been under siege for months by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been fighting the Sudanese army since April 2023.
In a resolution unanimously adopted by the Council’s 47 member states following an emergency session held last Friday at the request of the United Kingdom, the Council expressed its “grave concern about the imminent risk of large-scale atrocities, particularly conflict-related sexual violence, affecting hundreds of thousands of civilians in El Obeid and surrounding areas.”
The Council therefore mandated the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan, established at the outset of the conflict, to conduct an “urgent investigation” into suspected violations of international humanitarian law and related international crimes.
Over the past three weeks, the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, and several governments have warned of a possible imminent assault on El Obeid, similar to last year’s offensive that resulted in the capture of El Fasher in western Sudan, where the RSF has been accused of committing widespread atrocities.
The Council stressed that “there is no military solution to the crisis in Sudan,” renewing its call for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire without preconditions, and for a credible and inclusive political transition leading to a democratically elected national government after a civilian-led transitional period.
External Intervention
El Obeid is home to around 500,000 residents and hosts approximately 100,000 people displaced by violence in other parts of Sudan.
Although the Sudanese army succeeded in breaking a prolonged siege in February last year, it has struggled to prevent the RSF from reimposing the blockade through repeated drone attacks targeting the city, its infrastructure, and its main exit road.
The Council condemned “airstrikes against civilians and the unlawful targeting of civilian infrastructure,” specifically referring to dozens of drone strikes that hit El Obeid over the past two weeks, including hospitals and other healthcare facilities, resulting in civilian casualties and disrupting access to essential services.
While urging all parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of civilians, particularly those forced to flee their homes, the resolution also denounced the widespread use of rape and other forms of gender-based sexual violence as a method of warfare, including in places of detention and as a form of torture.
The conflict between the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (“Hemedti”), has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, according to United Nations estimates, while humanitarian organizations estimate the death toll has exceeded 200,000.
Although many non-governmental organizations and the United States government have accused certain states or entities of fueling the conflict, the Council limited itself to condemning “all forms of external interference that fuel the conflict, particularly the supply of arms and military equipment.”
Sudan’s Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Hassan Hamid Hassan, welcomed the resolution but expressed regret that its wording remained “relatively vague.”
Meanwhile, the war between the Sudanese army and the RSF has killed or injured at least 330 children during the first six months of 2026, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
In a statement, Sheldon Yett, UNICEF’s Representative in Sudan, said that children are “being killed and injured in their homes, on the roads, in markets, and while trying to access essential services such as education and healthcare.”
