UN Human Rights Commissioner warns of catastrophe in al-Obeid

Siege and civilian casualties

According to the UN Human Rights Office, at least 45 civilians were killed and 41 others injured in several drone attacks in and around al-Obeid. More than half a million people live in the city. Some 500,000 civilians are said to be acutely threatened with violence by an expected large-scale RSF offensive. The UN warns of hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties in the conflict between the government and the militias.

Türk recalled the at least 6,000 people who were killed last year within three days when the RSF militia captured the city of al-Faschir. That case had shown how quickly a catastrophe can unfold. "Heads of state and government around the world must now do everything in their power to prevent further atrocities," he demanded.

International warnings and course of the conflict

As early as mid-June, an international coalition, which includes Germany, Great Britain, France, and Canada, had warned of imminent atrocities in al-Obeid. The RSF militia has consolidated its territory in western Darfur, while the Sudanese army, after more than three years of civil war, controls the centers and the east of the country. Both sides are fighting over the agriculturally significant Kordofan region between the army and RSF areas.

The militia rejects this. The United States and human rights organizations accuse the RSF militia of committing genocide against non-Arabs in the West Darfur region. The Sudan conflict is considered one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world. The war has displaced nearly 14 million people, in addition to famines in the country.

Appeal to the international community

Türk addressed his appeal to the international community to recognize the signs of the impending catastrophe and to take immediate protective measures for the threatened civilian population. The UN special session in Geneva is intended to help increase political pressure on the parties to the conflict and to secure humanitarian corridors for the suffering population.

The High Commissioner concluded his remarks with an urgent appeal: Despite the difficult circumstances, everything must be done to prevent a repeat of the events in al-Faschir. The coming days and weeks will be decisive in determining whether the international community will live up to its responsibility to protect.

According to the UN's assessment, the humanitarian situation in al-Obeid is continuing to deteriorate. International aid organizations fear that the already catastrophic supply situation could collapse completely if the city is captured by the RSF.