Global Coalition Warns of Impending Atrocities in Sudan's Al-Obeid

The joint statement, presented at the U.N. Human Rights Council by Norwegian ambassador Tormod Endresen, represents a bloc of 28 countries including Britain, France, and Germany. The coalition is demanding an immediate cessation of hostilities, citing ten consecutive days of drone strikes that have already claimed at least 50 lives and crippled civilian infrastructure. Al-Obeid occupies a strategic position between the military-held eastern regions and the RSF-controlled west, making it a critical theater in the ongoing conflict.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk cautioned that the situation mirrors the siege tactics previously deployed in al-Fashir, which fell to the RSF in October after an 18-month blockade. Türk emphasized that the international community has a duty to intervene before the humanitarian crisis in North Kordofan reaches a point of no return. While the RSF continues to deny allegations of ethnically motivated violence, the U.S. and various human rights organizations have previously accused the paramilitary group of genocide in West Darfur. The coalition is now calling for maximum diplomatic pressure on both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces to ensure humanitarian access and protect the vulnerable population.