Reports: ‘Relentless’ Drone Attacks Hit El Obeid Amid Growing Insecurity and Displacement

What happened

The UN’s human rights chief Volker Türk reported at the Human Rights Council that the North Kordofan capital, El Obeid, has been subjected to relentless drone attacks over recent weeks by advancing paramilitary militias, specifically the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), amid ongoing conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Over fifteen drone strikes documented in just three weeks killed at least 45 civilians, with attacks targeting markets, schools, hospitals, fuel stations, water infrastructure, and civilian vehicles.

Outside Brief is treating this as a source-led account. Any disputed responsibility, casualty figure, battlefield claim or single-source assertion should be treated as unconfirmed/hearsay unless confirmed by another reliable source or a named official. Türk described the humanitarian emergency unfolding in El Obeid, a city hosting more than half a million residents plus at least 100,000 internally displaced persons, many fleeing from North Darfur and other conflict zones. He highlighted patterns of summary executions, abductions, torture, sexual violence, and looting occurring along displacement routes within the Kordofan region. Residents face exorbitant costs and constant threats along exit roads controlled by the RSF, making escape difficult or impossible.

The paramilitary RSF is reported to control all access routes around El Obeid except towards the East, with escalating military movements raising fears of further escalation. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan at the Council detailed videos and statements from RSF-linked social media showing preparations to enter the city, while attacks on critical power and water infrastructure further disrupt essential services and compound civilian suffering.

Known from the source

• El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan, has been struck by at least 15 drone attacks in three weeks, killing at least 45 civilians, according to the UN.
• Drone strikes targeted civilian infrastructure including markets, schools, hospitals, fuel stations, water infrastructure, and vehicles.
• The RSF and SAF are the two main armed actors involved in the conflict, with the RSF controlling nearly all access routes to El Obeid except eastward routes.
• Patterns of summary executions, abductions, and sexual violence have been documented along displacement corridors in Kordofan.
• El Obeid hosts more than 500,000 residents and over 100,000 internally displaced persons displaced from other conflict zones like El Fasher in Darfur.

What remains unclear

The UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) noted a near two-thirds rise in newly displaced people across Kordofan within three months and recorded over 100 incidents causing forced displacement in under nine months, averaging a major incident every two to three days. The IOM Chief of Mission warned that civilians remain primary targets in a strategy aimed at forcibly emptying cities to consolidate control.

What remains unclear: Confirm whether the central claim is corroborated; until then treat it as unconfirmed/hearsay. Exact attribution of drone strikes to RSF or SAF as the launching forces. Verification of the civilian casualty toll and infrastructure damage reported. Current on-the-ground humanitarian access and conditions inside El Obeid.

Evidence note

This story contains report-led claims. The article keeps those claims attributed and treats them as unconfirmed/hearsay unless independently corroborated.

Original source: UN News Africa Sudan. Open the source.