UN Security Council Demands RSF Halt Imminent Offensive on El Obeid as Sudan Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
The United Nations Security Council has demanded that the Rapid Support Forces militia halt an imminent offensive on El Obeid, a city in North Kordofan, Sudan, warning that a ground assault carries the risk of mass atrocities in a country already enduring what the UN describes as one of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies. The warning comes as drone strikes multiply across the city, killing civilians and destroying fuel infrastructure that supplies humanitarian operations across the broader Kordofan region.
UN Rights Chief Issues Stark Warning From Geneva
Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued his appeal on Thursday following reports of a significant build-up of RSF forces and allied troops around the city, accompanied by intensified drone strikes and artillery shelling. Türk drew a direct parallel with documented atrocities in El Fasher and the Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur last year.
“We have seen this playbook before,” Türk said. “We cannot allow the repeat of the preventable atrocities we documented in El Fasher and Zamzam IDP camp in North Darfur last year.” The High Commissioner said the impending offensive threatened to commission serious international crimes and deepen an already catastrophic impact on a civilian population that has endured siege-like conditions for more than 18 months. Drone strikes have particularly targeted fuel stations and supply trucks, cutting off access to basic services for a city that serves as a critical humanitarian hub for the entire Kordofan region.
“The States with influence have the duty to exercise it now to stop this madness in its tracks,” Türk said. He also urged all parties to ensure the safe movement of civilians repeatedly forced to flee violence in search of basic necessities. “Let this be a stark warning to the world about an impending human rights disaster and worsening humanitarian situation,” he added. “The world is watching, and those responsible for violations must be held accountable.”
Security Council Speaks With Rare Unified Voice
The UN Security Council issued its own statement on Saturday, expressing alarm at reports of substantial RSF military reinforcements around El Obeid and demanding the force halt its assault immediately. Council members voiced concern over the imminent risk of mass atrocities and called on all parties to halt the fighting, protect civilians, and comply with international humanitarian law. The statement recalled that both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF signed the Jeddah Declaration in May 2023, committing both sides to facilitate safe humanitarian access and protect civilian populations.
The Council also raised concern over the reported increase in drone attacks across Sudan by both parties to the conflict. Members called for all abuses and violations to be investigated and for those responsible to be held accountable. The body further urged all UN Member States to refrain from external interference that could fuel the conflict, support efforts toward durable peace, and comply with relevant Security Council resolutions.
A Humanitarian Crisis Already at Historic Scale
The warnings about El Obeid arrive against the backdrop of a crisis that has already become one of the most devastating in the world. According to OCHA, the UN humanitarian affairs office, the war that erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF has displaced more than 13 million people internally and driven millions more to the brink of famine. Humanitarian access remains severely constrained across vast stretches of the country, and a humanitarian worker was among those killed by drone strikes in El Obeid residential neighborhoods over the past week.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres reinforced the call through his spokesperson, expressing alarm over the possible ground offensive. “Far too many times in this conflict, clear warnings have failed to trigger concerted action by the international community,” the statement said. “The Secretary-General urges all those with influence over the parties to exert it to prevent further bloodshed. We must not allow the horrors of El Fasher to be repeated in El Obeid.” The Secretary-General stressed that humanitarian workers and supplies must be able to move safely, and that El Obeid is a crucial hub for aid operations across the Kordofan region.
Military Build-Up and Civilian Casualties Mount
Intelligence assessments and field reports indicate that RSF forces have been consolidating positions around El Obeid for weeks, with drone strikes increasing in frequency and precision. The strikes have hit not only military targets but also civilian infrastructure, including the fuel depots that power generators for hospitals and water pumping stations. Aid organizations operating in the region say the destruction of fuel infrastructure has already curtailed their ability to reach vulnerable populations in surrounding communities.
What Comes Next
Diplomats at the UN acknowledge that previous warnings about atrocities in Sudan have largely failed to produce meaningful action. The Security Council has been divided on the conflict, with competing geopolitical interests limiting the scope of any collective response. Whether the unusually direct language from both Türk and the Security Council constitutes a genuine inflection point or another chapter in a pattern of ignored warnings will depend on whether pressure on the parties translates into changed behavior on the ground. For the 300,000 or more civilians estimated to remain in El Obeid, that question is not academic — it is a matter of survival.