UN chief alarmed by military buildup in El Obeid, Sudan

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is alarmed by the military buildup around El Obeid in Sudan's North Kordofan state, which may signal an imminent ground offensive, his spokesman said Thursday.

"The Secretary-General is particularly alarmed by reports of deployment by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of substantial military reinforcements around El Obeid, which may indicate an imminent ground offensive into the city. Such an offensive would potentially be placing yet another major population centre in Sudan at grave risk of large-scale violence," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily briefing.

"The Secretary-General calls for restraint from all parties and urges them to take all necessary measures to respect and protect civilians," he said.

Guterres urged all those with influence over the parties to exert it to prevent further bloodshed. The international community must not allow the horrors of El Fasher to be repeated in El Obeid, said the spokesman.

The siege and capture of El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur state, by the RSF in September and October 2025, led to a massacre of civilians in the city.

The UN chief reiterated his call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urged the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF to engage with international efforts to facilitate de-escalation and reach a negotiated settlement to end the conflict, said Dujarric.

Humanitarian workers and supplies must be able to move safely, and humanitarian operations must be protected and facilitated. Civilians who wish to leave must be allowed to do so safely. Those choosing to remain must be respected, protected and have access to the humanitarian relief they need, said the spokesman.

"The Secretary-General reminds all parties of their clear obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including the respect and protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to facilitate rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access," he said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that escalating hostilities in and around El Obeid are putting civilians at greater risk and severely disrupting humanitarian operations.

OCHA said continued drone attacks have caused significant damage to civilian infrastructure, with multiple strikes reported earlier this week across the city.

"Local sources indicate that most schools, markets, shops, and humanitarian warehouses in the town have now closed," the office said. "Humanitarian partners say they are postponing convoys between El Obeid and South Kordofan due to insecurity."

OCHA explained that El Obeid hosts large numbers of displaced people and is also a critical logistics hub for the humanitarian response across the broader Kordofan region to support operations in areas of acute need, including the cities of Dilling and Kadugli in South Kordofan state.

Any further disruption to roads into and out of El Obeid will significantly limit humanitarian efforts to reach people in need, the office added.