The United Nations has warned of a growing risk of atrocities in Sudan’s El Obeid, where civilians face continued drone attacks, arbitrary arrests and deteriorating access to essential services amid the country’s prolonged conflict.
In a report released on Wednesday, October 28, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan said the strategic city in North Kordofan State remained partially encircled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), exposing residents to persistent violence and severe deprivation.
The report, titled ‘Sudan’s Unrelenting War: Civilian Devastation and Deepening Insecurity in El Obeid’, documents attacks on civilian infrastructure and an intensifying crackdown on people perceived to be critical of authorities.
Mission Chair Mohamed Chande Othman warned that the situation in and around El Obeid remained grave, with the risk of atrocities increasing as fighting spreads to other parts of the country.
He said attacks reported in Blue Nile State, Abyei and areas near the Sudan-Egypt border demonstrated how the conflict was becoming more geographically extensive, technologically sophisticated and increasingly dangerous for civilians.
Investigators attributed repeated drone strikes in El Obeid to the RSF, saying the attacks had killed and injured civilians while damaging residential neighbourhoods, schools, displacement sites and infrastructure essential to daily life.
The strikes have also disrupted access to healthcare, electricity and clean water, further worsening conditions for residents already struggling with the effects of prolonged insecurity.
According to the mission, only about 30 per cent of hospitals in the city remained operational following the attacks, highlighting the pressure on an already strained healthcare system.
However, the report also raised concerns over abuses involving security forces affiliated with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which have intensified surveillance and arbitrary arrests targeting human rights defenders, humanitarian workers, lawyers, trade unionists and community leaders.
The investigators received credible accounts of people being held incommunicado, tortured and subjected to ill-treatment, alongside reports of deaths in custody and alleged sexual violence against female detainees. The mission warned that some of these violations could amount to war crimes.
Mona Rishmawi, an expert member of the fact-finding mission, said thousands of people had been arrested by SAF security units and detained in unofficial facilities and El Obeid Central Prison under appalling conditions.
She called for the practices to end immediately and urged authorities to allow independent monitoring bodies access to detention facilities.
The findings also highlighted the deteriorating conditions inside El Obeid Central Prison, where approximately 2,000 people were reportedly being held against a capacity of about 450. One former detainee described up to 40 people being confined in a cell measuring approximately 2.5 by two metres.
The mission further warned that restrictions on humanitarian operations by both warring parties and their allies were making it increasingly difficult to reach people requiring assistance.
The latest findings come more than three years after fighting between the RSF and SAF erupted in April 2023, triggering widespread displacement, civilian casualties and the destruction of essential infrastructure across Sudan.
The investigators also recalled the devastation in El Fasher, where the RSF takeover and subsequent violations against civilians and targeted ethnic communities were previously found to bear the hallmarks of genocide.
The mission called on all parties to respect international humanitarian and human rights law, protect civilians and essential infrastructure, allow unhindered humanitarian access and end arbitrary detention and torture.
It also urged countries to take measures to prevent the transfer of weapons, fighters and other forms of support that could contribute to further violations and international crimes in Sudan.
