HRC 62 - Urgent debate on El Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan

Human Rights Council – 62nd session

Urgent debate on the Human Rights Situation in and around El Obeid, North Kordofan in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Sudan

3 July 2026

Mr President,

The OMCT and AWAFI are gravely alarmed by the imminent risk of mass atrocities in El Obeid, North Kordofan.

This is not an abstract warning. It is a pattern we have already seen. In El Fasher, siege, bombardment and the collapse of civilian protection were followed by atrocities that the UN Fact-Finding Mission found to bear the hallmarks of genocide. Today, the same sequence is unfolding in El Obeid: encirclement, drone and artillery attacks, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and fear of an imminent ground offensive.

Around 500,000 civilians, including more than 100,000 internally displaced persons, are at risk. Attacks on water, fuel, health facilities and residential areas are not collateral damage; they may amount to serious violations of international humanitarian law and international crimes.

The Human Rights Council must not wait to document another preventable tragedy after it has happened.

We urge this Council to request the Fact-Finding Mission to conduct an urgent inquiry; and ensure that those responsible, including commanders, external enablers and arms suppliers, are identified and held accountable.

We also call on all Member States with influence to move beyond statements: impose targeted sanctions, support binding Security Council action, ensure humanitarian corridors, and fund frontline local responders.

The evidence exists. The warnings are clear. What is needed now is prevention.

Thank you