The city of El Obeid in Sudan is facing an imminent humanitarian crisis as drone strikes and military tensions escalate. The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has intensified, putting the lives of half a million residents and 100,000 refugees at grave risk.
The situation in El Obeid has deteriorated rapidly, with drone strikes targeting essential infrastructure such as schools, fuel stations, and hospitals. The United Nations (UN) and other humanitarian agencies have warned of the risk of atrocities, drawing parallels to the devastating siege of El Fasher last year.
Escalating Violence and Humanitarian Concerns
From 6 June to 28 June, the UN human rights office documented at least 45 people killed and 41 injured in 15 drone strikes in El Obeid and surrounding areas. The city, located between RSF-held areas in Darfur and army-controlled regions in the east, has suffered repeated attacks on its infrastructure. The SAF is fighting to prevent another blockade after an 18-month siege in February last year.
Fatima an aid volunteer whose name has been changed for fear of retribution, described the situation as dire. “I cannot begin to describe how terrible the situation is right now,” she said. “Even the way people talk at funerals is different. Instead of praying for the deceased, they would be talking about how they died.”
International Response and Warnings
On Friday, Volker Türk the UN high commissioner for human rights, addressed delegates in Geneva during an urgent debate of the UN human rights council. He warned that another human rights catastrophe is unfolding in Sudan, calling for urgent action from world leaders. “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,” he said.
Amnesty International released a report on Wednesday, stating that the RSF had committed ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in its campaign to capture El Fasher. An independent fact-finding mission for the UN had already said the RSF’s seizure of the city showed the “hallmarks of genocide” against non-Arab communities.
Military Build-Up and Humanitarian Impact
Experts have highlighted significant concentrations of RSF troops around El Obeid and warn of an imminent ground offensive. A report released by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab found damage to electricity generation, fuel storage facilities, and the main market that was “consistent with intentional bombardment of civilian infrastructure necessary for the sustainment of life.”
The report also noted an increase of more than 700 temporary structures at internally displaced persons camps in El Obeid in one month, indicating a recent influx of highly vulnerable civilian populations. The SAF has constructed about 30 miles (50km) of defensive positions, suggesting it expects a siege.
Nohad Eltayeb a senior research assistant at the Acled conflict monitoring group said it had recorded 27 drone strikes last month around El Obeid, the highest monthly total since the start of the conflict in 2026.
Humanitarian Workers’ Accounts
Ahlam a humanitarian worker whose name has also been changed, described the constant drone attacks as a source of pain, loss, and fear. “In just the past two weeks, nearly every essential service and piece of critical infrastructure has been hit,” she said. She fears devastating consequences if the conflict escalates, noting the already huge number of displaced people in the city.
Will Davies Sudan director at Avaaz said the drone attacks had created an “extremely dire” situation in El Obeid. He noted that the city lacked the ethnic dynamics that were a factor in the El Fasher killings and there was unlikely to be a major ground offensive because “the evidence isn’t there in terms of a force big enough to do it.”
Mohamed Badawi director at the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies called for a ceasefire and for the international community to push for the creation of safe corridors for people to flee El Obeid.
The Broader Conflict in Sudan
The war in Sudan began in when a power struggle between the SAF headed by Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF led by Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo erupted in violence in the capital, Khartoum. The fighting has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced many more, fueled by foreign powers with vested interests supporting sides in the conflict.
On Monday, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and a coalition of civil organizations referred high-level officials based in the UAEIranTurkey and Egypt to the international criminal court “for aiding and abetting atrocity crimes” in Darfur. They accused them of supplying arms, mercenaries, equipment, financing, and logistical support.
