The United Nations (UN) has issued a dire warning regarding an impending humanitarian catastrophe in the strategic city of el-Obeid, Sudan. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, addressing an urgent debate at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, urged world leaders to take immediate action to prevent looming atrocities in the city. El-Obeid, capital of North Kordofan state, has been under siege-like conditions for nearly 18 months, with civilians suffering relentless drone attacks amidst a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The UN's top rights body convened an exceptional debate on the human rights situation surrounding el-Obeid, following a request by a coalition of countries. The conflict in Sudan erupted in April 2023 between the army and the RSF, with Kordofan, home to oil reserves and the RSF's strongest paramilitary allies, serving as a critical battleground. El-Obeid, hosting close to 100,000 refugees displaced by civil war, has been subjected to its most intense RSF attacks in recent weeks, with recent assaults disrupting essential services like power and water supplies. At least 45 people have lost their lives, and 41 others have been injured as a result of 15 drone attacks in el-Obeid and its vicinity between June 6 and 28, according to the UN human rights office. European nations are planning to propose a draft resolution to the 47-member rights council, emphasizing the urgency for global intervention to prevent atrocity crimes in el-Obeid and other areas of Kordofan.