UN issues 'red alert' over human rights catastrophe in Sudan's El-Obeid

Cover image: 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 regions in the east. © AFP

The UN on Friday warned that a "human rights catastrophe" was unfolding in Sudan's El-Obeid where experts have warned the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) may be about to stage an offensive. Civilians in the city have already been subjected to "siege-like conditions" for the past 18 months, UN rights chief Volker Turk said.

UN rights chief Volker Turk issued a "red alert" Friday on the unfolding "catastrophe" in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid, where the United Nations fears an imminent paramilitary assault.