US warns of looming atrocities as RSF encircles Sudanese cityRSF encircles Sudanese city
The United States on Monday joined the United Nations and other observers in warning that mass atrocities could soon be committed in and around el-Obeid, a besieged city in Sudan’s North Kordofan region.
The warning came as the Rapid Support Forces and allied groups were reported to be massing around the city, heightening fears for civilians and underscoring the risks of Sudan’s civil war.
US and international observers
US and international officials say the buildup around el-Obeid raises the risk of mass atrocities and a new civilian disaster. They frame the warning as a reminder that armed groups must protect civilians and allow safe passage for people trying to flee.
Field reporting
Reports on the ground describe RSF and allied forces concentrating around the city while fighting continues in Sudan’s wider civil war. This view puts the focus on battlefield pressure around a strategic urban center and the danger of civilian entrapment.
- el-Obeid sits on a key transport corridor linking central Sudan with the west and the capital region.
- North Kordofan has long been affected by conflict, displacement and competition over strategic roads.
- The RSF grew out of militias first used in Darfur two decades ago.
Sudan Civil War
Sudan's civil war has entered its fourth year, increasingly resembling a war of attrition defined by a de facto territorial division between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with the SAF recently reclaiming the presidential palace in central Khartoum as a major tactical victory[1][3].
1 January
Open fighting breaks out between the SAF and RSF and spreads across Sudan.1 January
Talks over integrating the RSF into the army fail to resolve the power struggle.1 January
A military takeover ends the civilian transition and deepens rivalry between Burhan and Hemedti.
