Children in immediate danger as violence escalates in Sudan’s El-Obeid: UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that
around 500,000 civilians are at risk in El-Obeid, the capital of
Sudan’s North Kordofan state, as intensifying fighting forces
families and children to flee, AzerNEWS reports
via UNICEF.

In a statement posted on Saturday, UNICEF said the escalating
violence was driving widespread displacement and placing children
in increasing danger.

“Intensified fighting in El-Obeid, Sudan, is forcing children
and families to be displaced and seek refuge,” the agency said,
warning that “500,000 civilians are at risk, with children in
immediate and growing danger of being killed, injured, displaced,
or exposed to other grave violations.”

UNICEF called for an immediate de-escalation, stressing that
“further escalations must be prevented for children’s safety.”

El-Obeid was once home to around 500,000 people, but unofficial
estimates suggest its population has swelled to nearly three
million as it has become a major refuge for people displaced by the
conflict elsewhere in Sudan.

The warning comes days after the UN Human Rights Council ordered
an urgent investigation into alleged violations and abuses in
El-Obeid, citing the imminent risk of large-scale atrocities.

For the past month, the city has reportedly come under repeated
drone attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which
have targeted the main power station, fuel facilities and other
civilian infrastructure, leaving dozens of people dead or
injured.

In May, the UN warned of a sharp increase in drone attacks
across the Kordofan region, saying at least 880 civilians had been
killed between January and April.

North, West and South Kordofan have witnessed fierce clashes
between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF since last October.
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting
erupted over plans to integrate the RSF into the national military.
The war has since killed tens of thousands of people and displaced
an estimated 13 million, creating one of the world’s worst
humanitarian crises.