UN migration agency warns RSF attacks could turn Sudan’s El Obeid into ‘another El Fasher’

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Sunday warned that Sudan’s El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, could face the same fate as El Fasher in neighboring North Darfur if attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue.

The warning came in a video message posted by the IOM on US social media company X, featuring Mohamed Refaat, the agency’s chief of mission in Sudan.

“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.

He added that more than 500,000 people in El-Obeid are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Refaat also said the Shelter Cluster in Sudan, led by the IOM, is “one of the most underfunded clusters in Sudan,” limiting its ability to provide assistance to affected families.

For about a month, El-Obeid has come under repeated RSF drone attacks targeting the city’s main power station, fuel facilities and other civilian sites, leaving dozens of people dead and injured.

On Friday, the UN warned of a new human rights catastrophe unfolding in El-Obeid and called on the RSF to halt its attacks on the city.

The warning followed growing concern from the UN, regional organizations and the US over reports of RSF military build-ups around El-Obeid and the risk of atrocities.

According to local and international organizations, the RSF’s capture of El Fasher on Oct. 26, 2025, was followed by reports of widespread abuses against civilians and warnings that the development could entrench Sudan’s geographic fragmentation.

On Oct. 29, 2025, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, acknowledged that “violations” had occurred in El Fasher and announced the formation of investigation committees.

The UN also warned on May 12 of an escalation in drone attacks across the Kordofan region, saying the strikes killed at least 880 civilians between January and April 2026.