Al‑Obeid, Sudan under siege amid RSF defections and escalating atrocities

The United Nations has warned that Al‑Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan in Sudan, is facing a humanitarian catastrophe after 18 months of siege conditions. Civilians lack food, water and medical supplies while drone strikes and shelling have intensified, raising the risk of mass atrocities.

At the same time, members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue to defect to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). High‑ranking commanders such as Ali “Al‑Safna” Rizqallah and others have joined the SAF, citing grievances over pay, medical care and intra‑tribal rivalries. Human‑rights groups accuse both the RSF and the SAF of atrocities, including civilian killings, sexual violence and recent drone attacks that killed at least 50 civilians in El Obeid.

An international coalition of 29 countries has urged the UN Human Rights Council to act, warning that up to 500,000 civilians are at risk of large‑scale atrocities. The worsening siege, defections and ongoing violence threaten to deepen the humanitarian crisis and spur further displacement across the region.