The army-held city of Al Obeid is suffering a total blackout and skyrocketing food prices as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces continues its siege of the key Sudanese city, residents say.
The UN Human Rights Council passed a motion on Monday condemning the escalating violence committed by the RSF in Al Obeid and setting up an urgent inquiry into alleged abuses there.
Britain, which brought the motion alongside 14 other nations, warned of the risk of large-scale atrocities after the RSF massed forces around one of Sudan's largest cities, a siege reminiscent of the takeover of El Fasher in North Darfur last year.
The 47-member council voiced “deep concern about the imminent risk of large-scale atrocities” by the RSF. The motion was adopted by consensus, although China disassociated itself from the decision, saying it did not support investigations that target individual countries without their backing.
'Complete darkness'
Residents have told The National the shortage of drinking water that plagued Al Obeid in recent weeks has eased in parts of the city but complained that RSF drones were constantly hovering overhead, spreading fear among those who remain.
The International Organisation for Migration said more than 500,000 people in Al Obeid were in need of humanitarian assistance.
Zoheir Hashem, a resident of Al Obeid, told The National: “We are good, thanks be to Allah, but the problem with electricity continues. We are living in complete darkness since power went out nearly a month ago. The water situation is better in some areas and the markets have plenty of essential food items, but everything is very expensive.”
Al Obeid lies in the contested state of North Kordofan, south-west of the capital Khartoum. Control of the city, a commercial hub famous for its gum Arabic crop, gives the army a foothold in the region it cannot afford to lose if it is to make good on repeated vows to recapture neighbouring Darfur, a region the size of France held by the RSF.
The UN and the US have urged the RSF in recent weeks to abandon its campaign to seize the city. They have warned an assault on Al Obeid will create a humanitarian crisis and expose its residents to atrocities similar to those blamed on the paramilitary when it captured El Fasher in October.
El Fasher had been the army's last foothold in Darfur, the birthplace of RSF forerunner, the notorious Janjaweed militia, that fought on the side of the government in the 2000s against rebels seeking to quash perceived discrimination by the political and economic elite in Khartoum.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk has urged the world to help prevent atrocities in Al Obeid. He said civilians had been subjected to siege-like conditions for 18 months, with a critical shortage of clean water and relentless drone strikes.
Mr Turk said his office had documented patterns of summary executions, abduction, torture and sexual violence on routes taken by people fleeing Kordofan.
Highlighting the dire humanitarian situation in Al Obeid, the UAE on Sunday announced an emergency humanitarian response worth $30 million to support civilians.
Fuel shortage
Al Obeid residents said the city was suffering a fuel shortage caused by supply disruption, with the RSF reportedly besieging the city from three directions.
Trapped civilians who wish to leave have been unable to do so because of lack of security on the roads, The National was told. Those who have managed to escape are mostly displaced Sudanese living on the city's outskirts.
Parts of Al Obeid have been under RSF siege for more than two years. But the paramilitary group, which has been fighting Sudan's military since April 2023, has intensified its campaign in recent weeks by reinforcing positions around the city to tighten the siege and cut army supply lines.
Al Obeid is about 400km south-west of the capital, Khartoum. It is home to the army's Fifth Infantry Division, a battle-hardened force with experience from Sudan's previous civil wars. Army-aligned militias are also stationed in the city.
A takeover of Al Obeid could pose a threat to Khartoum, which was under RSF control for about two years before the army drove it out. However, the RSF is believed to hold some key positions in the desert outside Omdurman, one of three Nile-side cities that make up Greater Khartoum.
As well as the capital, the army controls 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.
Since the war broke out in April 2023, tens of thousands 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.
