Civilians in El Obeid, in Sudan's North Kordofan state, are trapped between drone attacks and a wave of arbitrary arrests, UN-appointed independent investigators said on Wednesday 28 October. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan released a new report, Sudan's Unrelenting War: Civilian Devastation and Deepening Insecurity in El Obeid, warning that the war is becoming more geographically extensive, more technologically sophisticated and increasingly dangerous for civilians.

Drones hit schools, clinics and power supplies

The city remains partially encircled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the mission said, and drone strikes attributed to the RSF continue to kill and injure civilians and damage schools, displacement sites and other civilian infrastructure. Repeated strikes have disrupted healthcare, electricity and water, degrading essential services in a city already under severe strain. Mission member Mona Rishmawi said the mission had found serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, including conduct amounting to war crimes in relation to the RSF drone attacks.

Arrests and detention condemned

At the same time, security forces affiliated with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have stepped up mass surveillance and arbitrary arrests, the mission said. Rishmawi said thousands have been arrested by SAF security cells, detained and tortured in unofficial locations and in El Obeid Central Prison, and kept under appalling conditions. "These practices must stop immediately," she said. The mission also urged all states to take reasonable action to prevent individuals and entities under their jurisdiction from contributing to violations and international crimes in Sudan.

Sources: UN News, UN Human Rights (OHCHR).