UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has voiced deep concern over escalating fighting in and around El Obeid, the capital of Sudan’s North Kordofan state, warning that the city could face the kind of large-scale violence seen in Al Fasher.
“The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the escalation of fighting in and around El Obeid, North Kordofan state, including drone attacks impacting civilians and civilian infrastructure,” UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement on Thursday.
Dujarric said Guterres was “particularly alarmed by reports of the deployment, by the Rapid Support Forces, of substantial military reinforcements around El Obeid which may indicate an imminent ground offensive on the city, potentially placing yet another major population centre in Sudan at grave risk of large-scale violence.”
The UN chief called for restraint from all parties and urged them “to take all necessary measures to respect and protect civilians.”
“Far too many times in this conflict, clear warnings have failed to trigger concerted action by the international community,” Dujarric said, conveying Guterres’s message.
“The Secretary-General urges all those with influence over the parties to exert it to prevent further bloodshed. We must not allow the horrors of Al Fasher to be repeated in El Obeid.”
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