El Obeid, Sudan on the brink of humanitarian disaster as UN warns of famine

The western Sudanese city of El Obeid has been under siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023. A United Nations official warned that if the siege is not lifted and humanitarian aid is not allowed unconditionally within weeks, the city could face a famine similar to that previously seen in El Fasher.

Water prices have surged to about $20 for ten litres and food costs have risen by 60‑300 %. The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) chief Mohammed Rifaat said agencies have had only intermittent access and many have halted operations due to insecurity.

Seven European governments, including Britain and France, as well as the United States, have called on the RSF to stop the attack. The UN Security Council expressed similar concern and urged the withdrawal of RSF forces from the city. Recent drone strikes have targeted fuel stations, a major power plant and food‑transport trucks. The Sudanese war, now in its fourth year, has claimed over 200,000 lives and forced more than 11 million people to flee, a displacement crisis the UN describes as the worst on the planet.