Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy voiced deep concern over dangerous situation in the Sudanese city of El Obeid, in North Kordofan State as more than 500,000 civilians, including tens of thousands of displaced people are under siege and facing continued drone attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
In a statement on Tuesday, the pan-Arab body’s chief said the attacks had targeted markets, schools, hospitals, and water and electricity facilities.
Fahmy warned that the continued military buildup around the city and the targeting of residential neighbourhoods and civilian infrastructure risk repeating the atrocities seen in El Fasher, despite repeated international warnings of serious violations that could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to MENA news agency.
He called for intensified and coordinated international and regional efforts to prevent the city from sliding into a broader humanitarian and security catastrophe and to halt actions that could prolong the conflict, while respecting Sudan’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Fahmy also said the AL General Secretariat would continue, through the Quint Mechanism comprising the AL, the African Union (AU) , the United Nations (UN) , the European Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to support efforts aimed at creating an inclusive Sudanese political process and promoting national dialogue among Sudanese parties.
All efforts, he said, are intended to help end the war, preserve state institutions and build on the 2023 Jeddah Declaration to protect civilians and alleviate the humanitarian suffering of the Sudanese people.
