UN Orders Urgent Investigation into Violations in El-Obeid, Sudan

SadaNews - The United Nations Human Rights Council ordered today, Monday, an "urgent investigation" into the violations and abuses occurring in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid, warning of an imminent risk of "widespread atrocities".

The city of El-Obeid, located in North Kordofan State in central Sudan, has been under siege by the "Rapid Support Forces" for months amid its ongoing war with the Sudanese army since April 2023.

In a decision unanimously adopted by the 47 members today, Monday, following an urgent discussion held on Friday at the request of the United Kingdom, the Human Rights Council expressed its "grave concern about the imminent risk of widespread atrocities, particularly sexual violence related to the conflict, affecting hundreds of thousands of civilians... in El-Obeid and the surrounding areas".

Consequently, the council tasked the "Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Sudan", which it had established at the beginning of the conflict, to conduct an "urgent investigation" into the "violations of international humanitarian law and related international crimes that are suspected to have been committed".

In the past three weeks, the UN, alongside various NGOs and governments, has issued warnings about a potential imminent attack on El-Obeid, similar to the attack last year that led to the takeover of El Fasher in western Sudan, a city in Darfur where the "Rapid Support Forces" are accused of committing atrocities.

The council emphasized that "there is no military solution to the crisis in Sudan", reiterating its call for an "immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, without preconditions", and for establishing a "comprehensive and credible political transition leading to a democratically elected national government after a civilian-led transitional period".

UAE?

The city of El-Obeid has a population of half a million, and hosts about 100,000 people displaced due to violence from other areas of the country.

Although the army managed to break a long siege in February last year, it is struggling to prevent the Rapid Support Forces from re-imposing the siege through repeated drone attacks targeting the city, its infrastructure, and its main exit route.

The council condemned in its decision "airstrikes against civilians and the unlawful targeting of civilian infrastructure", specifically mentioning "dozens of drone strikes that targeted El-Obeid over the past two weeks, including hospitals and other health facilities, resulting in civilian casualties and hindering access to essential services".

While the text called for "all parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of civilians", especially those forced to flee their homes, it also denounced the "widespread use of rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence as a means of warfare, including in detention places and as a form of torture".

The ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the "Rapid Support Forces" led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as "Hemedti", has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands and the displacement of millions, according to UN estimates, while humanitarian organizations estimate the death toll to be over 200,000 people.

While many NGOs and the US government have pointed fingers at countries or entities fueling the war, the council limited itself to condemning "all forms of foreign intervention that fuel the conflict, especially the supply of weapons and military equipment".

For his part, Sudan's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Hassan Hamid Hassan, welcomed the Human Rights Council's decision, expressing at the same time that he regretted the wording's "relative ambiguity", not explicitly mentioning the United Arab Emirates, which he regarded as the main supporter of the "Rapid Support Forces".