UN Orders Urgent Inquiry Into RSF Atrocities in El-Obeid

The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on July 6, 2026, ordering an urgent inquiry into alleged human rights abuses and international law violations in El-Obeid, Sudan. The council issued a red alert, warning that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are preparing a major offensive against approximately 500,000 residents and 100,000 refugees. The resolution, introduced by Britain and 14 other states, follows a months-long siege of the city characterized by drone strikes on hospitals, schools, and water systems. UN officials warned that the situation mirrors the 2025 assault on El-Fasher, which bore the hallmarks of genocide.

Simultaneously, UNICEF reported that at least 330 children were killed or injured in the first six months of 2026, with drone attacks accounting for 60% of those casualties. In North Kordofan, recent strikes killed 15 civilians over two days, including 13 people in a vehicle traveling to a wedding. Save the Children added that fighting in El-Obeid has displaced over 5,500 children, while the WHO warned of a conflict-fueled cholera outbreak in West Kordofan that has killed 117 people.

Diplomatic tensions rose as Sudan's Permanent Representative, Hassan Hamid Hassan, welcomed the condemnation of the RSF but rejected the inquiry's mandate and accused the United Arab Emirates of violating arms embargoes to support the paramilitary group. The UAE denies these claims. On July 7, UN Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher contacted RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo to demand safe humanitarian access and an end to attacks on civilians.