El-Obeid shelters a population of half a million inhabitants, plus a number of internally displaced people, and has been besieged for months.

Omissions

• The 'half a million' figure is the estimate used by humanitarian agencies (MSF, UNICEF) for the current population, which includes internally displaced people who have fled to El-Obeid; the last census figure (2008) was lower (~350,000–400,000). The claim itself acknowledges the presence of IDPs separately.
• The siege intensified in the months before the session: MSF and UN reports from mid-2026 describe 'relentless' drone strikes hitting schools, markets, fuel stations, water points and the main power station, cutting services for the city's population.

Sources

• PrimaryMSF (Doctors Without Borders)Drone strikes have hit schools, a market, fuel stations, water points, and the main power station of El Obeid, a city of half a million people.
• SecondaryAnadolu Agency (citing UNICEF)UNICEF warns half a million civilians at risk amid fighting in El-Obeid, Sudan; 'Intensified fighting in Al Obeid, Sudan, is forcing children and families to be displaced and seek refuge.'
• SecondaryAl JazeeraEl-Obeid under siege by RSF: Could this be Sudan's next El-Fasher; UN warns of 'catastrophe' in el-Obeid after RSF atrocities in el-Fasher last year.
• SecondaryUN NewsThe war in Sudan threatens to spiral further as the strategically-important town of El Obeid continues to face 'relentless' drone attacks by [the RSF].
• SecondaryBBC NewsEl-Obeid under constant drone strikes blamed on RSF; many civilians have been injured in drone strikes in el-Obeid.