Al-Obeid, Sudan (Running Africa) — Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) renewed its assault on the strategic city of al-Obeid on Wednesday, launching drone attacks that killed at least two people and injured several others as fighting intensifies across the country’s Kordofan region.
Medical sources confirmed the casualties, while witnesses reported additional drone strikes in Khartoum and Atbara, the first such attacks reported in those cities since May.
The renewed offensive comes as both the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) reinforce their positions across Kordofan, an increasingly important battleground in Sudan’s more than three-year civil war.
RSF Drone Attacks Target Strategic al-Obeid
Al-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, has endured months of attacks and siege tactics as the RSF seeks to strengthen its position across central and western Sudan.
The city serves as a critical gateway connecting central Sudan with the wider Kordofan and Darfur regions, making control of the area strategically important to both sides.
Repeated fighting has severely disrupted supplies of food, fuel, water and electricity, placing increasing pressure on civilians who remain in the city.
An estimated 500,000 people are currently living in al-Obeid, including approximately 100,000 people displaced by the war, raising fears that renewed fighting could further deepen the humanitarian emergency.
Drone Strikes Reported in Khartoum and Atbara
Witnesses also reported drone attacks in Khartoum and the northern city of Atbara, signaling a possible expansion of RSF operations beyond the immediate Kordofan battlefield.
The strikes were the first reported drone attacks in those areas since May and come after a period of reduced RSF activity amid growing international pressure to de-escalate the conflict.
The latest attacks highlight the increasing role of drone warfare in Sudan’s conflict, allowing both sides to target strategic infrastructure and military positions far beyond traditional front lines.
RSF Under Pressure After Losing Territory
The renewed offensive comes as the RSF faces mounting battlefield pressure following recent territorial losses to the Sudanese army in Kordofan, Blue Nile and other regions.
Army advances have challenged RSF positions and intensified competition for strategic transport corridors connecting different parts of the country.
RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, has responded by vowing to intensify military operations.
Both sides have reinforced positions across Kordofan in recent weeks, raising concerns that the region could become the center of a new phase of heavy fighting.
Sudan War Continues to Fuel Humanitarian Crisis
Sudan’s war erupted in April 2023 following a power struggle between the Sudanese army and the RSF, former allies who had shared power following the overthrow of longtime President Omar al-Bashir.
The conflict has since spread across large parts of the country, killing tens of thousands of people and forcing millions from their homes.
The United Nations has described Sudan as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with civilians facing widespread hunger, displacement, disease and limited access to essential services.
As fighting again intensifies around al-Obeid and drone attacks reach Khartoum and Atbara, fears are growing that another escalation could further complicate efforts to deliver humanitarian aid and push even more Sudanese civilians into crisis.
