UN migration agency warns El Obeid could become 'another El Fasher'

The International Organization for Migration warned on Sunday that Sudan's El Obeid risks becoming "another El Fasher" as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces intensify attacks on the North Kordofan capital, threatening hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in the crossfire. Mohamed Refaat, the UN agency's chief of mission in Sudan, said the city faces a humanitarian collapse without immediate intervention, noting that over 500,000 residents require urgent assistance amid severely underfunded relief operations.

"We are all concerned that El Obeid being the next El Fasher … If we do not act now, we will see another El Fasher," Refaat said in a video message posted on X. He added that the Shelter Cluster, led by the IOM, remains one of the most underfunded humanitarian mechanisms in the conflict, severely limiting aid delivery to displaced families.

Infrastructure Under Fire

RSF drone strikes have targeted El Obeid's main power station, fuel facilities and other civilian sites for approximately one month, leaving dozens dead and injured. The UN warned on Friday of a new human rights catastrophe unfolding in the city, urging the paramilitary force to halt its attacks immediately.

El Fasher Precedent

The warnings follow the RSF's capture of El Fasher on Oct. 26, 2025, an assault followed by reports of widespread civilian abuses that prompted RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo to acknowledge "violations" three days later and form investigation committees. Regional organizations and the US have expressed mounting concern that the fall of El Fasher could entrench Sudan's geographic fragmentation, with the UN documenting at least 880 civilian deaths from drone attacks across the broader Kordofan region between January and April 2026.