Submission statement: Thousands of people who have poured into the city of el-Obeid hoping to find shelter from Sudan’s raging civil war have found themselves under threat again, amid warnings that paramilitary fighters are preparing to descend on the army-controlled city.
The UN and G7 foreign ministers have now issued warnings that the RSF may be preparing to attack the city, raising fears that atrocities akin to those seen during the massacre in el-Fasher could be repeated. Thousands of people were killed in mass executions after the paramilitary overran SAF troops defending the city last October, in one of the worst atrocities since the civil war began in 2023.
Fears of similar reprisals occurring in el-Obeid have grown for weeks and verified footage now shows dozens of heavily armed RSF troops in armoured trucks stationed in Nyala, a key nearby stronghold, vowing to “liberate” the city.
As the displacement camps have expanded, the conditions in el-Obeid have deteriorated. Last week the UN warned nearly 400,000 people in the city’s vicinity are facing food shortages, following a sustained effort by RSF commanders to cut off supply routes into the city for months, creating what one UN official called a “functional siege”.
Meanwhile, the Sudanese military appears to be digging in and building a defensive berm – or earth wall – around the city, satellite images suggest. Unlike the one built around el-Fasher by the RSF last year, which trapped people inside the besieged city, this appears to be defensive and aimed at keeping attackers out.
On Monday, the military also said that a massive operation had secured a vital highway between el-Obeid and the capital, Khartoum. In response, the RSF’s leader who is known as Hemedti, said he was “unleashing” his fighters and ordered his front-line commanders to “move straight forward. No more retreat. No more hesitation”.
1 Comment
Submission statement: Thousands of people who have poured into the city of el-Obeid hoping to find shelter from Sudan’s raging civil war have found themselves under threat again, amid warnings that paramilitary fighters are preparing to descend on the army-controlled city.
The UN and G7 foreign ministers have now issued warnings that the RSF may be preparing to attack the city, raising fears that atrocities akin to those seen during the massacre in el-Fasher could be repeated. Thousands of people were killed in mass executions after the paramilitary overran SAF troops defending the city last October, in one of the worst atrocities since the civil war began in 2023.
Fears of similar reprisals occurring in el-Obeid have grown for weeks and verified footage now shows dozens of heavily armed RSF troops in armoured trucks stationed in Nyala, a key nearby stronghold, vowing to “liberate” the city.
As the displacement camps have expanded, the conditions in el-Obeid have deteriorated. Last week the UN warned nearly 400,000 people in the city’s vicinity are facing food shortages, following a sustained effort by RSF commanders to cut off supply routes into the city for months, creating what one UN official called a “functional siege”.
Meanwhile, the Sudanese military appears to be digging in and building a defensive berm – or earth wall – around the city, satellite images suggest. Unlike the one built around el-Fasher by the RSF last year, which trapped people inside the besieged city, this appears to be defensive and aimed at keeping attackers out.
On Monday, the military also said that a massive operation had secured a vital highway between el-Obeid and the capital, Khartoum. In response, the RSF’s leader who is known as Hemedti, said he was “unleashing” his fighters and ordered his front-line commanders to “move straight forward. No more retreat. No more hesitation”.
The situation for everyday Sudanese has turned pretty brutal. With women facing sexual violence when they go out to fetch water (https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/07/1168012) to kids in schools fearing the drone strikes everyday (https://www.dw.com/en/sudan-civil-war-when-drones-strike-the-classroom/a-78089487)