The warning, issued Monday by U.S. State Department spokesperson Thomas Tommy Pigott on behalf of the United States Department of State, comes just days after senior United Nations officials raised alarm over an imminent military escalation in El Obeid and called for urgent international action to prevent a repeat of atrocities seen elsewhere in Sudan’s conflict.
El Obeid, a key urban and logistical hub in North Kordofan, has increasingly come under heightened military pressure as fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and RSF intensifies across central Sudan.
“The United States is deeply concerned by reports that the Rapid Support Forces and their allied forces are massing forces around El Obeid, Sudan, in a manner that significantly increases the risk of violence against civilians,” Pigott said in a statement on Monday.
He warned that the situation presents “alarming indications that mass atrocities could be imminent,” adding that the escalation risks worsening what he described as Sudan’s already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
The U.S. further called on RSF and allied forces to immediately halt any actions that could endanger civilians or obstruct humanitarian access.
“The RSF and their allied forces must cease any actions that could endanger civilians, impede humanitarian assistance, or contribute to further atrocities and suffering,” the statement said.
Pigott stressed that all parties to the conflict are bound by international humanitarian law obligations to protect civilians and ensure safe passage for those fleeing violence.
“The belligerents must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and ensure that those seeking safety can do so without fear or obstruction,” he said.
The statement also underscored the heavy toll of the war on Sudanese civilians, describing the conflict as one that has inflicted “an intolerable” level of suffering across the country.
“This war has exacted an intolerable toll on the Sudanese people. Civilians have borne the brunt of the violence and have suffered immensely from the devastation caused by this conflict,” Pigott said.
Washington called for immediate humanitarian access to affected populations, warning that restrictions on aid delivery would further deepen civilian suffering in and around El Obeid and the broader Kordofan region.
The U.S. reiterated that there is no military solution to the war, urging the warring factions to pursue a negotiated settlement without preconditions.
“There is no military solution to this conflict,” the statement said, adding that only a political process could end the violence and pave the way for civilian-led governance.
The U.S. also said it would continue working with international partners to advance a humanitarian truce and support a transition toward durable peace and civilian rule in Sudan.
The warning adds to growing international alarm over El Obeid, following earlier United Nations appeals that cautioned an offensive on the city could trigger mass civilian casualties and repeat atrocities previously documented in other conflict zones in Sudan.
