RSF Drone Strikes Kill 45 in El Obeid as UN Issues Red Alert on Sudan Atrocities
Updated
Updated · UN News · Jul 3
RSF Drone Strikes Kill 45 in El Obeid as UN Issues Red Alert on Sudan Atrocities
3 articles · Updated · UN News · Jul 3
Summary
Fifteen drone strikes hit El Obeid and nearby areas in three weeks last month, killing at least 45 civilians as RSF forces tightened control of routes around the North Kordofan capital.
Volker Türk said the attacks have repeatedly hit markets, schools, fuel stations, water infrastructure and civilian vehicles, while residents face summary executions, abductions, torture, sexual violence and looting along escape routes.
More than 500,000 residents and at least 100,000 displaced people are trapped in El Obeid, with only the eastern route still open and aid agencies saying they have been unable to reach the city for two months.
Nearly two-thirds more people have been newly displaced across Kordofan in three months, IOM said, calling the violence part of a strategy to empty cities before they are taken.
The UN rights chief warned El Obeid could follow atrocities seen in El Fasher and urged world leaders, the Security Council and the ICC to act before further mass crimes unfold.
After El Fasher's massacre, is the world watching another foreseen atrocity unfold as drones terrorize the city of El Obeid?
Foreign powers are arming Sudan's factions. Can targeting these international backers finally halt the world's worst displacement crisis?
Could designating Sudan's RSF as a terrorist group sever its foreign support and finally force an end to the brutal war?
33 Million Sudanese in Peril: Drone Strikes, Siege, and the Global Response to the 2026 Crisis
Overview
In June 2026, El Obeid in Sudan faced a severe crisis as relentless drone strikes and a tightening siege pushed its civilians to the brink. This escalation is part of the broader conflict that began in 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which has already displaced over 13 million people and left millions facing famine. Humanitarian access remains severely restricted, and international bodies have warned that El Obeid could experience atrocities similar to those in El Fasher. The situation highlights the urgent need for humanitarian intervention and protection for civilians trapped by the ongoing violence.