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El-Obeid escalation fears
The United Nations warned on June 19, 2026 of the danger of an imminent attack on El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State in southern Sudan, amid reports of large military mobilizations by the Rapid Support Forces around the city.
“Amid reports of large military mobilizations by the Rapid Support Forces around the city Adel Abdelrheem June 19, 2026 • Updated: June 19, 2026 Archive SUDAN Adel Abdelrheem/ Anadolu The United Nations warned on Thursday of the danger of an imminent attack on the city of El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, in southern Sudan, amid reports of large military mobilizations by the Rapid Support Forces around the city”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called for urgent action to prevent a repetition of the tragedies seen in El-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur State, after the Rapid Support Forces seized El-Fashir on October 26, 2025.
The Anadolu Ajansı report says the UN warned that any imminent attack on El-Obeid could put hundreds of thousands of civilians at grave risk and could amount to new international crimes.
It also cites the UN’s concern about drone attacks that hit civilians and civilian infrastructure, and notes that in recent days El-Obeid has witnessed drone attacks by the RSF while the RSF has not commented on the accusations of targeting the city.
The same report adds that Türk warned an imminent attack on El-Obeid could lead to serious new international crimes and worsen the catastrophic conditions faced by civilians already enduring enormous suffering.
Abyei declared a target
While the UN warned about El-Obeid, قناة العالم reported that the Sudan Founding Alliance, led by Rapid Support Forces commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemetti, announced that Abyei town is considered a legitimate military target.
The same report says the announcement came despite growing international warnings about the consequences of ongoing bombardment that has struck civilian facilities and vital infrastructure.
In parallel, the UN Human Rights Council, during a session in Geneva, unanimously adopted a resolution calling for an urgent investigation into violations and abuses suspected to have been committed in the city.
The resolution also warned of the imminent danger of widespread atrocities and called on the UN fact-finding mission to investigate possible crimes.
The Anadolu Ajansı account places the UN’s El-Obeid warning in the context of earlier atrocities in El-Fashir and cites RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Daglo Hemeti admitting on October 29 that there were what he called excesses by his forces in El-Fashir.
Humanitarian access at risk
Rؤيا الإخباري reported that Tom Fletcher, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, spoke on Monday with Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (Hemeti) about the dangerous escalation of fighting, particularly in El Obeid in North Kordofan.
“In the video, the Sudan Founding Alliance, led by the Rapid Support Forces commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemetti, announced that Abyei town is considered a legitimate military target, despite growing international warnings about the consequences of the ongoing bombardment that has struck civilian facilities and vital infrastructure”
Fletcher stressed the need to secure sustainable and safe humanitarian access for aid workers and to facilitate the movement of civilians, while warning of grave concern about the consequences of drone attacks targeting civilians and essential infrastructure.
The report says El Obeid hosts around half a million people, including 100,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) who fled violence in other areas, and that the city has been under a tight siege imposed by the RSF for months.
It adds that OCHA renewed its call to protect civilians and public facilities and to enable all parties to facilitate rapid and safe, unobstructed access to humanitarian aid.
Anadolu Ajansı further frames the stakes by saying the UN Secretary-General stressed the need to enable humanitarian workers and humanitarian aid to move safely, noting that El-Obeid is a vital hub for humanitarian response efforts across the Darfur region.
