The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights confirmed that civilians have been living in El-Obeid under a permanent siege for 18 months.

Omissions

• The UN High Commissioner's official phrasing is 'siege-like conditions' rather than a literal 'permanent siege'; El-Obeid itself is under Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) control while the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have maintained encirclement/blockade around the city since roughly January 2025.
• The claim was made on 2026-07-08, and the primary OHCHR statement and UN News reports confirming the 18-month figure were published in early July 2026 (immediately before/around the session date), so the MEP could have known them.
• UN officials have described the situation as 'siege-like conditions' rather than a formally declared siege; reporting also notes SAF operations to open supply routes, so the siege has not been completely unbroken in every period.

Sources

• PrimaryOHCHR — Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (statement by High Commissioner Türk)Civilians have been subjected to siege-like conditions for 18 months, battered by relentless drone strikes as the Sudanese Armed Forces and [RSF]... (High Commissioner Türk calls for strong action at the highest level to prevent [atrocities in El-Obeid])
• PrimaryOHCHR — press release (Volker Türk warns of catastrophic offensive on El Obeid)Following reports of a significant troop build-up by the Rapid Support Forces and allied forces around El Obeid, ... [High Commissioner Türk warns that an imminent offensive would be catastrophic]
• SecondaryUN News (United Nations)El Obeid, the capital of the North Kordofan state, is currently under SAF control, but the city has faced 'siege-like conditions' for 18 months, ...
• SecondaryBBC NewsEl-Obeid has been under 'siege-like conditions' for 18 months says the UN human rights chief.
• 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.