14-20 June 2026 Sudan News Summary: Fears of attack on El Obeid, hunger expected to rise in coming months

21 Jun

Arabic news roundup

By William Greenwood

On Thursday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned of the risk of a new wave of violence engulfing El Obeid - the capital of North Kordofan State in western Sudan - amid a significant military buildup by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and escalating drone strikes and artillery shelling.
The RSF has massed large numbers of fighters around the city of El Obeid in southern Sudan, while intensifying drone attacks on vital sites within the city, including fuel stations.
A spokesperson stated that Guterres is deeply alarmed by the deployment of significant military reinforcements around El Obeid, which signals an imminent ground assault on the city and threatens to expose another major Sudanese population center to the grave risk of large-scale violence.

A new report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) has identified a risk of famine in 14 areas across North Darfur, South Darfur, and South Kordofan through September 2026, with the risk expected to persist in 13 additional areas during the harvest season.
Estimates indicate that 19.5 million people - 41% of the population - are facing high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or higher) through May 2026, including 5 million people in an emergency situation (IPC Phase 4).
The report confirms that armed conflict and violence remain the primary drivers of acute food insecurity, affecting 12 of the 13 identified hotspots.
These pressures are exacerbated by economic shocks, severe funding shortages, and rising risks associated with the anticipated El Niño phenomenon, which is likely to cause erratic rainfall, droughts, and floods in countries already characterised by high vulnerability.

By Samuel Hunt

A coalition of 29 countries warned the UN Human Rights Council that the RSF could imminently escalate an assault on El Obeid, with ten consecutive days of drone strikes killing at least 50 civilians and putting 500,000 people at risk of "large-scale atrocities."
UN chiefs Volker Türk and António Guterres both warned of an "imminent ground offensive," drawing parallels to last year's atrocities in El Fasher and urging the world to act before they are repeated.
More than 1,000 civilians were killed in drone strikes nationwide between January and May, the UN's human rights chief revealed, citing a "sharp increase" in drone warfare.
In White Nile State, UNICEF's child-friendly spaces are giving displaced children a place to play, learn and heal, with around 150 attending daily and 250 more catching up on missed education.

Bill Greenwood