The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, warned this Thursday of a "catastrophic impact" on the civilian population in the face of a possible offensive on the city of El Obeid, in central Sudan, where a growing concentration of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) personnel and allied groups is occurring in the surrounding areas.
Turk explained that an increase in drone attacks and artillery fire has also been observed in the area, which is why he called for an immediate halt to preparations for an eventual offensive on this town in North Kordofan. "With an imminent offensive, there is a risk of further crimes being committed and of aggravating the impact on the civilian population, which is already under siege," he denounced.
El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, has been under conditions similar to a siege for more than 18 months, as the UN Human Rights official recalled, emphasizing that this situation "has been seen before" in the region and has set a very worrying precedent.
"We know where it led then and we cannot now allow the avoidable atrocities we documented last year in El Fasher and the Zamzam displacement camp to be repeated. Civilians are in grave danger in Kordofan, especially in El Obeid, due to the lack of measures to stop the imminent offensive and further military escalation," he stated in a statement.
In this regard, he called for what is happening "to serve as a warning to the world about an imminent human rights disaster and the worsening humanitarian situation." "States with influence have a duty to exercise it now to stop this madness at its root," he asserted, appealing to international responsibility.
Given the patterns of "grave violations of International Law" documented by the UN Human Rights Office during the RSF operations against El Fasher and the Zamzam internally displaced persons camp last year, Turk stressed that "the risk of summary executions, abductions, arbitrary detentions, and other acts of violence against the civilian population is high and must be prevented."
He warned that "the increasing use of drones to carry out air attacks is having an even more devastating impact on the civilian population and civilian infrastructure." In the last two weeks, dozens of drone attacks have been registered in El Obeid, mainly targeting gas stations and trucks, which has caused civilian casualties and severely affected the population's access to basic services.
Therefore, he has called on the warring parties to "guarantee the free movement of civilians who have been repeatedly forced to flee violence." "The people of Sudan need peace: urgent measures must be taken to protect the civilian population and prevent further atrocities, including sexual violence, as well as further displacement and more suffering of the civilian population," he added.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has also expressed his concern about the intensification of fighting, particularly the deployment of the RSF and the arrival of military reinforcements in the vicinity of El Obeid, which "may indicate an imminent ground offensive against the city."
"The Secretary-General calls on all parties to exercise restraint and urges them to take all necessary measures to respect and protect civilians," he indicated, lamenting that "too often" the international community's warnings "have failed" to contain the violence.
Guterres has urged actors with "influence" in the region to "exert it" to prevent "further bloodshed." "We must not allow the horrors of El Fasher to be repeated in El Obeid," he stressed, aligning himself with the concerns expressed by Turk.
The Secretary-General has also called on the parties for an "immediate cessation of hostilities" and their involvement in initiatives that allow for de-escalation and a negotiated solution to end this "devastating conflict," as well as to "protect and facilitate humanitarian operations," recalling that El Obeid is a "crucial" point for the humanitarian response throughout the Kordofan region.
"Humanitarian organizations continue to provide assistance in El Obeid and throughout the Kordofan region despite the deteriorating security situation. A humanitarian worker was among the civilians killed by drone attacks in residential neighborhoods of El Obeid last week," he lamented.
Along the same lines, he has insisted on the need to guarantee the "safe" departure of those who wish to leave the conflict zones. "Those who choose to stay must be respected, protected, and have access to the humanitarian aid they need," Guterres stressed.
He also reminded all contenders of "their clear obligations under Humanitarian Law, including respecting and protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure and facilitating rapid, safe, unimpeded, and sustained access to humanitarian assistance."
The conflict broke out in April 2023 due to deep disagreements over the integration process of the paramilitary group into the Sudanese Armed Forces, which derailed the transition that began after the 2019 overthrow of Omar Hassan al-Bashir's regime, already very weakened after the putsch that forced the departure of then-Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.