The top UN human rights official has warned that a major new disaster could unfold in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid, where around half a million people live.
What happened? Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that El-Obeid is in a state of "red alert." The city has been under siege-like conditions for 18 months, and a militia called the RSF may launch a large attack. Drone strikes in and around El-Obeid have already killed at least 45 civilians and wounded 41 more, and the civil war between Sudan's army and rival militias has pushed nearly 14 million people from their homes. Türk pointed to last year's capture of the city of El-Fasher, where at least 6,000 people were killed in just three days, as a warning of how fast violence can escalate. He said the signs from El-Obeid "are clear and unambiguous: another human rights catastrophe is unfolding in Sudan."