UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher contacted Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, to address the escalating conflict in Sudan, particularly in El Obeid, North Kordofan’s capital. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), led by Fletcher, emphasized the importance of ensuring safe access for humanitarian aid and civilian movement. Concerns were also expressed regarding the impact of drone attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure.
Fletcher and Dagalo discussed the challenges hindering the United Nations and its NGO partners from delivering essential relief efforts, citing bureaucratic obstacles among the issues. Meanwhile, Denise Brown, the UN’s resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, recently visited El Obeid to assess the aid response and witness the repercussions of attacks on civilians and infrastructure. OCHA highlighted that since May, 18 children have died and 17 others have been wounded in El Obeid, with a total of 330 children killed or injured nationwide in the first half of 2026, as reported by the UN Children’s Fund.
OCHA reiterated its plea for safeguarding civilians and infrastructure, urging all involved parties to facilitate swift, safe, and unimpeded humanitarian access to those in need throughout Sudan. Notably, a civil war erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, with recent concerns raised by the UN about a potential ground offensive by the RSF around El Obeid. The RSF’s previous actions in capturing El Fasher, North Darfur’s capital, in late 2025 resulted in a tragic civilian massacre in the city.
