The emergency session follows warnings that 500,000 civilians around el-Obeid are at risk of large-scale atrocities.

Geneva, Switzerland – The United Nations Human Rights Council is due to hold an urgent meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, to address the human rights situation in and around el-Obeid, North Kordofan, amid the ongoing conflict in Sudan, following warnings that about 500,000 civilians are at risk of large-scale atrocities.

The urgent debate follows an official request submitted by a core group of countries comprising Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom.

In their request, the countries warned of a potential escalation in violence, saying approximately 500,000 civilians are at risk of being targeted in large-scale atrocities.

They also cited increasing drone strikes that have destroyed civilian infrastructure, resulting in severe fuel and water shortages, while siege-like conditions have left thousands of people trapped in el-Obeid and cut off from basic services.

The group said it would submit a draft resolution for adoption by members of the Human Rights Council following the debate.

El-Fasher doctors

Meanwhile, the Sudan Doctors Network said the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces, had detained 20 doctors, including four women, since overrunning el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, in October last year, adding that their whereabouts remain unknown.

In a statement, the independent medical network called on the RSF to disclose the fate of the prisoners and allow healthcare workers to carry out their duties without being targeted or subjected to violations.

The network said healthcare workers in North Darfur had been widely targeted from the outbreak of the conflict on April 15, 2023, until the overrunning of el-Fasher, adding that 25 medical personnel had been killed during that period.

Sudan’s conflict, now in its fourth year, has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced more than 12 million and triggered what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst displacement and hunger crisis.

Fighting has intensified in recent months in the Kordofan region and Blue Nile state near the Ethiopian border, particularly after the RSF overran el-Fasher, the Sudanese army’s last major stronghold in the Darfur region.