Merve Aydogan
23 June 2026•Update: 23 June 2026
The US warned Monday of the risk of "imminent" mass atrocities in Sudan by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allied forces massing around El-Obeid in the North Kordofan state.
"There are alarming indications that mass atrocities could be imminent, further worsening Sudan's already catastrophic humanitarian crisis," State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
Washington said the RSF and its allied forces must cease any actions that could endanger civilians, impede humanitarian assistance, or contribute to further atrocities and suffering.
Pointing to the "intolerable toll" of the war on the Sudanese people, the statement said: "The United States calls on the belligerents to facilitate safe, rapid, and unhindered humanitarian access, uphold their responsibilities to protect civilians, and take immediate steps to prevent further atrocities."
"There is no military solution to this conflict," the statement added, urging the belligerents to pursue a negotiated settlement "without preconditions" to end the violence.
The US said it would continue working with international partners and Sudanese stakeholders to advance a humanitarian truce, secure unhindered humanitarian access, and support a pathway to civilian transition and durable peace.
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since 2023, when fighting erupted between the army and the RSF over plans to integrate the paramilitary force into the military. The war has triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, killing tens of thousands and displacing nearly 13 million people.
