Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces is closing in on army-held Al Obeid, in the heavily contested North Kordofan region, with dozens of countries warning an attack on the city could lead to a new wave of atrocities against civilians.
In videos widely shared online, RSF fighters have warned residents of Al Obeid to stay clear of military installations in the city, amid reports of daily drone attacks on army positions and civilian infrastructure.
The city, home to about 500,000 people, was plunged into darkness last week when RSF drones struck its main power station, residents said. The attacks also cut water supply to thousands of homes and halted work in several hospitals.
“Life inside Al Obeid continues at a level that's close to normal,” said resident Zoheir Hashem. “But we have a fuel shortage because five gas stations were hit and disabled on a single day last week.”
Another video shared online purportedly shows RSF fighters posing next to a column of new olive green fighting vehicles. The fighters, carrying rifles and wearing desert camouflage fatigues, can be heard saying confidently that they would capture Al Obeid in a matter of days.
Al Obeid sits about 400km south-west of the capital Khartoum. It is home to the army's 5th Infantry Division, a storied outfit with vast combat experience in the country's past civil wars. Militias aligned with the army are also stationed in the city, a major commercial hub.
Losing Al Obeid would be a major blow to the army, similar to the loss in October of El Fasher, its only remaining foothold in Darfur. That defeat left an area about the size of France in the hands of the RSF, which also controls parts of Kordofan.
The capture of El Fasher was followed by a wave of atrocities by the RSF, some ethnically-motivated, prompting an international outcry and a stream of condemnations. The RSF commander, Gen Mohamed Dagalo, pledged to investigate the incidents and prosecute the perpetrators.
Dozens of countries, including Britain, France and Germany, raised the alarm on Thursday at the UN Human Rights Council that the RSF could imminently escalate an assault on Al Obeid, possibly resulting in large-scale atrocities.
“We are deeply concerned at the risk of imminent escalation on the ground, leaving approximately 500,000 civilians at risk of falling victim to large-scale atrocities, including more than 100,000 internally displaced persons,” Tormod Endresen, the Norwegian ambassador to the UN, told the council in Geneva.
Norway shared a statement calling on the RSF to immediately cease its assault on Al Obeid. The statement was presented on behalf of the Coalition for Atrocity Prevention and Justice for Sudan, which comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway. The declaration was also signed by 21 other countries.
The coalition urged the international community to apply maximum pressure on the RSF and the Sudanese armed forces to prevent atrocities and protect civilians. It also reaffirmed the need for unhindered humanitarian access.
Like the RSF, the army is also accused of war crimes, including the use of chemical weapons and indiscriminate bombing that has killed thousands.
The army controls the capital as well as the nation's eastern, northern and central regions. The army-backed Sudanese government is based in Port Sudan on the Red Sea, while a parallel government formed by the RSF last year has its headquarters in Nyala, Darfur.
The war broke out in April 2023 when months of tension between army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and Gen Dagalo escalated into open warfare.
Since then, tens of thousands of people are believed to have been killed and about 14 million displaced. The war has also created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with 25 million people – almost half the country's population – facing hunger.
