The RSF are threatening an offensive on El-Obeid, putting 500,000 civilians at risk.

Omissions

• The 500,000 figure is a UN estimate of civilians at risk in and around El Obeid, including more than 100,000 displaced people; it reflects an imminent threat/siege rather than a fully launched ground offensive as of the session date.
• The exact publication date of the UN Security Council press release (press.un.org/en/2026/sc16399.doc.htm) could not be confirmed, but its meeting numbering and content place it in 2026, before the session date.
• The claim is consistent with multiple independent outlets (Al Jazeera, MSF, Geneva Solutions) reporting the same UN-backed figure.

Sources

• PrimaryUN Security Council (press.un.org)Noting that an estimated 500,000 civilians are at risk as fighting intensifies in and around El Obeid, she recalled that a similar situation [led to atrocities in El Fasher].
• SecondaryAl JazeeraAt least 29 countries raise alarm about atrocities in Sudan's El Obeid... 500,000 civilians are 'at risk of falling victim to large-scale [atrocities]'.
• SecondaryAl JazeeraWhy el-Obeid matters as Sudan's war enters a new phase — How fighting for el-Obeid could shape both Sudan's war and its humanitarian crisis.
• SecondaryMédecins Sans Frontières (MSF)Liesbeth Aelbrecht, MSF emergency coordinator who led the team's visit, describes the impact the situation is having on the 500,000 people in [El Obeid].
• SecondaryGeneva SolutionsUN rights council to hold emergency debate amid fears of imminent attack on Sudan's El Obeid... 500,000 civilians are at risk of being targeted in large-scale atrocities.