As the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) escalates, the capital of North Kordofan state has become a heavily besieged battleground, trapping roughly half a million residents alongside tens of thousands of internally displaced civilians.
Strategic Crossroads Under Siege
Situated along transit corridors connecting RSF-controlled strongholds in Darfur with army-held regions in eastern Sudan and the capital, Khartoum, El-Obeid holds vital strategic value. Paramilitary forces have intensified their encirclement around the city, applying siege tactics similar to those documented during the fall of El Fasher in Darfur.
Although the SAF constructed defensive trench networks and temporarily recaptured the primary highway connecting El-Obeid to Khartoum, the RSF responded with aggressive retaliatory attacks and reinforced its troop concentrations along the city's perimeter. UN investigators warn that the combination of encirclement, infrastructure destruction, and mounting troop concentrations indicates an impending ground offensive that could trigger widespread civilian massacres.
Proliferation of Unmanned Aerial Warfare
A primary feature of the battle for El-Obeid is the heavy reliance on foreign-made armed drones by both warring parties. UN Human Rights monitoring indicates that armed drones have become the leading cause of civilian casualties in the region, accounting for over 80 percent of recorded civilian deaths nationwide in the early months of the year.
In El-Obeid and across North Kordofan, aerial strikes have systematically targeted vital civilian infrastructure:
Power & Fuel Distribution
Electrical grids, high-voltage transformers, and diesel distribution facilities knocked offline by precision strikes.
Water Treatment & Pumps
Public filtration plants and municipal water points struck, forcing residents onto contaminated water sources.
Hospitals & Medical Centers
Operating rooms, emergency triage stations, and maternal care wards damaged or rendered inoperable.
Displacement Camps
Shelter zones for internally displaced refugees subjected to repeated loitering munition and rocket strikes.
"Dual Terror" and Humanitarian Collapse
The targeting of public water points has created what UN Women described as a devastating "dual terror" for local women and girls. Daylight drone strikes make visiting water points life-threatening, forcing women to venture out after dark. However, collecting water at night exposes them to widespread sexual violence, harassment, and abuse by armed actors operating in unmonitored sectors.
Compounding the military conflict is a severe humanitarian crisis. Blockaded transport arteries have driven extreme price spikes for basic goods, while clean water shortages have accelerated an outbreak of cholera in the region. At the same time, severe funding shortfalls have forced local humanitarian organizations and women-led support networks to reduce or halt emergency services entirely.
Calls for International Intervention
The UN Security Council, alongside UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, has demanded an immediate halt to the RSF’s advance and an end to all aerial bombardments. International bodies have also called on foreign states to cease external military support and drone deliveries that continue to expand the conflict.
"This is not a drill. It is a red alert that needs to land on the desks of heads of state and government around the world."
International observers conclude that unless immediate diplomatic leverage and protected aid corridors are enforced, El-Obeid risks repeating the mass atrocities seen across Western Sudan.