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UN human rights chief sounds alarm over Sudan bloodshed
AP News • • world
Key Points:
- The UN human rights chief Volker Türk issued a "red alert" over potential atrocity crimes in and near el-Obeid, a strategic city in central Sudan, amid ongoing conflict between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
- Türk warned that civilians in el-Obeid have endured siege-like conditions for 18 months, including relentless drone strikes, as fighting continues for control of the area.
- The UN Human Rights Council is debating a draft resolution condemning escalating violence by the RSF, urging support for refugee-hosting countries, and denouncing external interference in Sudan's conflict.
- The war, which began in April 2023, has resulted in at least 59,000 deaths, displaced 13 million people, and caused widespread famine, with over 30 million needing humanitarian aid.
- Despite the military breaking the siege on el-Obeid in February 2025, the RSF has launched multiple offensives to reestablish control, worsening shortages of food, fuel, water, health services, and transportation for civilians.
