Sudan: UN Human Rights Council convenes urgent debate on El Obeid

The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold an urgent debate on Friday, July 3, to “address the human rights situation in and around El Obeid, North Kordofan in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Sudan.” The debate in the Assembly Hall at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on Friday morning, is being convened following an official request submitted on Monday, 29 June 2026 by a core group of countries – Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom.

As reported by Radio Dabanga, repeated drone strikes on El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan, have killed and injured civilians this week, damaged key infrastructure and deepened shortages of fuel, water and bread, while fighting continues across North Darfur, displacing thousands of people.

Eyewitness told Radio Dabanga that drones have targeted El Obeid almost daily, with attacks beginning as early as 10am and, on some nights, continuing from 11pm until the early hours of the morning. Residents said the strikes have created widespread fear as they hit civilian and service facilities across the city.

El Obeid has become the focus of mounting international concern, with diplomats and aid agencies warning that it could face a similar fate to El Fasher, where months of fighting have been accompanied by widespread reports of atrocities and civilian suffering.

In a statement by UN Human Rights Council spokesperson Pascal Sim on Tuesday, the core group said in its request that “this action is needed due to the threat of potential escalation on the ground; approximately 500,000 civilians are at risk of being targeted in large-scale atrocities. Increasing drone strikes have destroyed civilian infrastructure, resulting in severe fuel and water shortages, and loss of civilian lives where siege-like conditions have seen thousands trapped in El Obeid town, cut off from basic services.”

The core group said it would submit a draft resolution for adoption by members of the Human Rights Council as an outcome of the urgent debate, Pascal Sim’s statement says.

The programme of work for the ongoing 62nd regular session of the Human Rights Council has been adjusted to include this urgent debate. This urgent debate does not require signatories or formal notifications as is the case for special sessions.

This will be the 13th urgent debate of the Human Rights Council since its creation in 2006.

Gender-based violence

A new UN Human Rights report published on June 24 lays bare the brutality and magnitude of conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan since the outbreak of the war in April 2023, and its profound, long-term impacts on victims, families and communities. The report finds that sexual violence has accompanied the geographic spread of the conflict, as well as displacement journeys. It has been used consistently as a tactic to terrorise and traumatise the civilian population.

“Unless the patterns and impacts of conflict-related sexual violence are addressed through justice, victim-centred responses and efforts to tackle stigma and discrimination, peace and social cohesion in Sudan risk being undermined for years to come,” says the report.

“As I warned at the end of my mission to Sudan in January, sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war. This is a war crime and, if committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack, a crime against humanity,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

The debate will be held on Friday, 3 July 2026, starting at 10:00 am (GMT+2) in the Assembly Hall at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, and will be webcast live on UN Web TV in the six official languages of the UN.