UN sounds ‘red alert’ over human rights catastrophe in Sudan’s el-Obeid

UN human rights chief Volker Turk issued the warning over growing fears of an imminent RSF assault.United Nations rights chief Volker Turk has warned that another human rights catastrophe is unfolding in the Sudanese city of el-Obeid, urging the world to act before a feared and imminent paramilitary assault.Addressing an urgent debate at the UN-human-rights-council" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="3938" data-entity-type="organization">UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Friday, Turk urged world leaders to help prevent atrocities in the city.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3UN Human Rights Council to hold urgent meeting on Sudan crisislist 2 of 3Sudan says China has waived $50m loan: What’s in it for Khartoum, Beijing?list 3 of 3Sudan’s el-Obeid: Life on the edge of collapseend of list“The signs from el-Obeid are clear and unmistakable: Another human rights catastrophe is unfolding in Sudan, this time in the capital of the strategic state of North Kordofan,” Turk said.“Civilians have been subjected to siege-like conditions for 18 months, battered by relentless drone attacks as the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces battle for control over areas surrounding the city.“This is not a drill. It is a red alert that needs to land on the desks of heads of state and government around the world.“Their phones should be running hot in the coming days and weeks, with ideas on how to prevent atrocity crimes in el-Obeid and in other places in Kordofan.”The UN’s top rights body was holding a rare urgent debate on the human rights situation around el-Obeid, following a request by the United Kingdom on behalf of a group of countries.Sudan’s conflict erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).Kordofan – home to oil deposits and the RSF’s most powerful paramilitary allies – remains a key battleground.el-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, sits on a key route linking RSF-held areas in the western Darfur region to army-controlled eastern regions.