Urgent Threat of Genocidal Massacres in El Obeid, Sudan
- Genocide Watch
- Jul 15
- 2 min read
Genocide Emergency
July 2026
By Grace Harris
Genocide Watch is issuing a Genocide Emergency Alert for Sudan.
The besieged city of El Obeid, Sudan is at immediate risk of genocidal massacres as Rapid Support Forces (RSF) surround the city now held by the Sudan Armed Forces.
El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, lies between RSF-controlled Darfur and Sudan’s capital Khartoum. An 18-month battle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF has caused siege-like conditions for this strategically-located city.
El Obeid has a population of 500,000 people, including 105,000 displaced from other parts of Sudan. Relentless drone strikes and shelling have trapped them in El Obeid with nowhere to flee. Drone attacks have killed at least 50 people as of mid-July. The RSF is advancing on El Obeid with plans to take the city by force, and the threat of genocidal violence is clear.
In February 2026, the RSF conquered El Fasher and massacred 60,000 civilians in just three days. After those atrocities drew global attention, an independent United Nations (U.N.) investigation found “hallmarks of genocide” in ethnically-targeted killings, systematic rape, and rhetoric calling for the elimination of non-Arab ethnic minorities like the Fur, Zaghawa, and Masalit. Experts now warn that El Obeid could be the next El Fasher as a site of genocide and humanitarian crisis on an immense scale.
U.N. staff have already reported escalating violence in the surrounding region, including executions, abductions, torture, and sexual violence committed against civilians. The U.N. Human Rights Council has ordered a new investigation into El Obeid, in an effort to prevent the kind of mass violence that occurred in El Fasher.
The international community must take action to stop this impending genocidal massacre.
There is an imminent threat of atrocities in El Obeid and well-documented patterns of the RSF's targeted mass killings and ethnically-motivated violence against Sudan’s Fur, Zaghawa, and Masalit ethnic communities. Therefore, Genocide Watch considers Sudan to be at Stage 7: Preparation, Stage 8: Persecution, and Stage 9: Extermination.
Genocide Watch recommends:
The United Nations should pass a General Assembly Resolution to demand and enforce an immediate unconditional ceasefire and protect at-risk populations.
The International Criminal Court should hold genocide perpetrators accountable.
The needs and wellbeing of Sudanese civilians, especially members of persecuted groups, must be prioritized in international action.
