On July 3 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that the world’s largest humanitarian crisis may take a turn for the worse. New battle lines are forming around the city of El Obeid in northwest Sudan for a possible replay of the October genocide and ethnic cleansing at El Fasher, Sudan. Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva Türk said, “Another human rights catastrophe is unfolding in Sudan. It is a red alert that needs to land on the desks of Heads of State and government around the world.”
Forces from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are converging on El Obeid, a city of about half a million people and the capital of the state of North Kordofan. Local residents already report dozens of drones have been used to attack the city’s infrastructure, schools, and even gas stations. These drone strikes have already killed at least 20 residents and wounded over 40.