- May 02, 2026
International Desk | PNN:
In Sudan’s Darfur region, the semi-military Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is preparing for new military operations after previously committing mass killings, leaving thousands homeless and raising UN concerns over a humanitarian disaster.
According to a UN report released on Sunday (November 3), RSF’s ongoing attacks have forcibly displaced large numbers of civilians, particularly from El-Fashir in West Darfur.
RSF leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, known as ‘Hemedti,’ released a video on the same day claiming that his forces “are preparing for a major operation and will soon liberate El-Obeid,” the capital of North Kordofan province, which is currently under Sudanese army control.
Both sides are preparing for large-scale battles in El-Obeid. In a video released by RSF, an armed fighter claims, “All our forces have gathered in the northeastern Bara area of El-Obeid.”
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that at least 1,200 people were displaced from Bara and Um Rawaba on Friday. Last week, over 36,000 people fled from various areas of North Kordofan.
A similar situation is occurring in South Kordofan, with at least 360 people displaced from Abbasia and Dilami towns, according to IOM. The organization warned, “The situation remains extremely tense and unstable.”
The UN reported that in the past weekend alone, more than 8,600 people fled from El-Fashir. Since RSF captured the city on October 26, over 70,000 people have been displaced.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stated that there is evidence of serious crimes, including the killing of Red Crescent volunteers and summary executions in El-Fashir.
The situation is so severe that over 10,000 people remain trapped inside the city, suffering from hunger and blockades. Many remain missing, and videos circulating on social media show bodies scattered along the streets.
The UN-supported food security monitoring agency IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) announced on Monday that famine has been officially declared in El-Fashir and Kadugli in South Kordofan.
The IPC report further states that at least 20 areas in Darfur and Kordofan are at extreme risk of famine. By September, about 370,000 people were living under famine conditions, and another 6.3 million people were experiencing severe food insecurity.
The agency warned that without an immediate ceasefire and secure humanitarian access, many more people could die from hunger and malnutrition.
Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced on Monday that it has begun investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity by RSF, including genocide and sexual violence in Darfur.
In a statement from The Hague, the court said evidence collection and preservation regarding crimes committed after the capture of El-Fashir has “begun immediately.”
The ICC noted that the violence is ethnically motivated and includes crimes such as mass rape, child abduction, indiscriminate killings of civilians, and attacks targeting hospitals.
The court’s Deputy Prosecutor Najahat Shameem Khan said in a June briefing, “We have reasonable grounds to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Darfur and continue to occur.”
So far, thousands have been killed, and millions displaced in the ongoing conflict in Sudan. Despite international calls for a ceasefire and humanitarian corridors, there are still no signs of peace.
