The United Nations says its special envoy for Sudan has made a direct appeal to Rapid Support Forces leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo to halt any assault on the city of El-Obeid in North Kordofan, where aid agencies fear a major offensive may be imminent.
The supplied AFP report via Arab News PK says Pekka Haavisto made a very strong appeal during a phone call with Dagalo. According to UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, the message was meant to de-escalate the situation and avoid further damage to an already dire humanitarian emergency. That is a notable intervention because it shows the UN trying to stop an offensive before it begins, rather than responding after the fact.
El-Obeid has been under siege for months, according to the report, and the UN fears a repeat of the atrocities seen during the October 2025 assault on El-Fasher, which the UN described as bearing hallmarks of genocide. Even without the full background of the conflict, the comparison tells readers why the world body is alarmed. El-Obeid is not being discussed as an isolated military objective but as a city whose civilians could face catastrophic consequences if the siege turns into a full assault.
The source packet says humanitarian workers are preparing for the movement of large numbers of people fleeing the city. That detail is important because it shows how normal humanitarian planning has become a preparation for worst-case displacement. The scale of Sudan’s war has already created one of the largest displacement crises in the world, and El-Obeid may be the next place where the burden rises sharply.
The report also notes that Haavisto has been talking to countries with influence over the warring parties. That suggests the UN is not relying only on direct appeals to commanders. It is also trying to work through regional actors who may be able to restrain the RSF or push for dialogue. The source packet does not identify those countries, but the strategy itself is clear: use whatever leverage exists to prevent a new urban offensive.
The context is grim. The conflict in Sudan has killed tens of thousands and forced more than 11 million people from their homes, according to the report. Those figures help explain why even a warning of a possible attack on one city carries national and regional significance. Each new offensive risks repeating a pattern already seen elsewhere in Sudan, where civilians have paid the highest price.
The source packet does not say whether Dagalo responded to the UN envoy, whether the RSF has confirmed plans for El-Obeid or whether any evacuation corridors have been discussed. That uncertainty is part of what makes the appeal urgent. The UN is acting before the military situation becomes irreversible.
What the report does establish is that the international system sees El-Obeid as vulnerable and that it is trying to prevent another mass-casualty episode. In a war already defined by displacement and siege, that makes the city the latest focus of a desperate diplomatic effort to stop events from getting worse.
