Updated · Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect · Jun 18
Drone Strikes Kill 30 in El Obeid as RSF Tightens Encirclement Ahead of Rainy Season
Updated
Updated · Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect · Jun 18
Drone Strikes Kill 30 in El Obeid as RSF Tightens Encirclement Ahead of Rainy Season
2 articles · Updated · Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect · Jun 18
Summary
At least 30 people were reportedly killed in and around El Obeid in drone strikes that began on June 10, with one attack hitting a funeral procession at a cemetery and killing at least four.
The strikes hit residential neighborhoods, the airport district and areas around a Sudanese Armed Forces base as fighting for North Kordofan's capital intensified and RSF forces built up around the city.
El Obeid remains a strategic link between Khartoum and Darfur; although the SAF broke the RSF's two-year siege in February 2025, RSF units still operate nearby and have kept pressure on the city through repeated drone attacks.
More than 1,000 civilians were killed by drone strikes across Sudan in the first five months of 2026, the UN human rights office said, warning that El Obeid could follow El Fasher, where RSF atrocities later drew findings of war crimes and possible genocide.
As foreign drones fuel Sudan's war, is Al-Obaid doomed to repeat the tragic 'Fasher scenario'?
With global powers arming both sides, what real leverage can stop the unfolding atrocities in Sudan?
Drone Strikes Kill 1,000+ Civilians in Sudan: Foreign Involvement and Humanitarian Collapse, June 2026
Overview
In June 2026, Sudan saw a sharp escalation in drone warfare, with El Obeid in North Kordofan suffering a severe increase in attacks. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were directly responsible for these assaults, which killed over 1,000 civilians in the first five months of the year. These strikes not only caused tragic civilian casualties but also deliberately destroyed vital infrastructure, making life even harder for local communities. The intensified attacks have worsened an already dire humanitarian situation, threatening civilian lives and compounding the hardships faced by those in El Obeid and beyond.