The strategic city of El-Obeid in North Kordofan is bracing for a potential assault by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), prompting warnings from the UN Security Council and Western nations of an 'imminent risk of mass atrocities.' The city, home to about 500,000 people, is a key logistics hub linking central Sudan, Khartoum, and Darfur.
Sudan's civil war began in April 2023 after a power struggle between General Abdel-Fattah Burhan of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) of the RSF. The conflict has split the country, with the SAF controlling the north and center, and the RSF holding much of Darfur and parts of the south.
El-Obeid hosts a major SAF military base and airfield. Hager Ali of the GIGA Institute warned that if the RSF captures the city, it could use it as a forward operating base for drones, especially as the rainy season from July makes drone operations from farther bases less reliable.
The humanitarian toll is staggering: over 14 million displaced, and death estimates range from 40,000 to 250,000. Drone strikes killed over 1,000 civilians between January and May 2026, according to the UN.
The memory of El-Fasher looms large: after an 18-month siege, RSF fighters killed about 6,000 people in three days last October, an act the UN said bore 'hallmarks of genocide.' Kenneth Roth, former Human Rights Watch director, stated, 'We have every reason to fear that the RSF will continue their mass atrocities if they are allowed to take El-Obeid.'
Amgad Fareid Eltayeb, an adviser to Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, criticized international inaction: 'The warnings were never meant to become prevention.' He called for the RSF to be designated a terrorist organization to cut off support from the United Arab Emirates, which allegedly backs the RSF. The UAE denies involvement.
Philippe Dam of Human Rights Watch urged sanctions against RSF leadership, saying, 'Sanctioning the RSF leadership today is essential given their command responsibility.' The US sanctioned both generals in January 2025, but the UN has not designated the RSF as a terrorist group, leaving a gap in prevention efforts.
Source: www.dw.com