UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has called for an end to the violence in Sudan and warned that the city of El Obeid cannot become the scene of “the next senseless tragedy.”
Ahead of an urgent debate at the UN Human Rights Council on Friday, Cooper appealed for the international community to act with “unity and resolve.”
She said: “Over the past weeks, dozens of drone strikes have hit El Obeid in Sudan, targeting aid workers, killing civilians and disrupting access to essential services. We have seen this deadly pattern before. The international community cannot look away.”
“Last year, the world failed the people of El Fasher, where there were horrendous atrocities. We cannot allow El Obeid to be the next senseless tragedy.”
Drone strikes killed more than 1,000 civilians in the war-torn country in the first five months of 2026, a senior United Nations official said previously.
The foreign secretary added: “External support is helping to sustain this war. More than a dozen countries are involved in the flow of arms and other support to the warring parties.”
“Those fuelling the conflict must stop and those with influence over the parties must use it now to prevent further bloodshed.”
“The international community must act with unity and resolve. Division only prolongs the suffering. Today’s debate at the Human Rights Council is both an opportunity and a test. The international community must rise to the moment.”