UN aid chief warns El-Obeid risks becoming ‘another El-Fasher’ as drone strikes escalate in Sudan
NEW YORK CITY: The UN’s top humanitarian official warned on Tuesday that there was a risk El-Obeid, the besieged capital of Sudan’s North Kordofan region, would become “another El-Fasher,” as escalating drone strikes and a deteriorating humanitarian situation threaten hundreds of thousands of civilians sheltering in the city.
“I am again sounding the alarm on the escalating violence and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan’s North Kordofan region,” said Tom Fletcher, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator. “We cannot allow El-Obeid to become another El-Fasher.”
There are hundreds of thousands of civilians in El-Obeid, he said, including many displaced by fighting elsewhere in Sudan who had sought refuge in the city. Intensifying drone attacks are killing civilians across the region, raising the risk of deeper human suffering, he added.
The strikes are also disrupting access to lifesaving supplies of drinking water and electricity, Fletcher warned, a particularly dangerous development at this time of year.
