EL-OBEID — The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights warned of an impending humanitarian catastrophe in el-Obeid, Sudan. The city, the capital of North Kordofan state and home to approximately 500,000 people, has been subjected to continuous drone attacks for months.

Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated on July 4, 2026, that "Civilians have been subjected to siege-like conditions for 18 months, battered by relentless drone attacks, as the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces battle for control over areas surrounding the city." He added that el-Obeid has been under "relentless drone attacks by advancing paramilitaries." The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group is attempting to enforce dominance over the Kordofan and Darfur regions. Among el-Obeid's population are approximately 105,000 displaced individuals.

Attacks on el-Obeid's power station have resulted in blackouts, disrupted water supplies, and hampered hospital operations. The Yale Humanitarian Research Lab reported that el-Obeid is experiencing an electricity and fuel crisis. Residents have resorted to using wells and water tanks located outside the city. Food prices in el-Obeid have surged by up to 300 percent, and water prices have doubled.

On July 1, 2026, Norway delivered a statement on behalf of the Coalition for Atrocity Prevention and Justice for Sudan, warning of urgent risks of atrocities in the country. The coalition, which includes the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Sierra Leone, along with 21 other countries, stated: "We are gravely alarmed by the urgent risks of atrocities and deliberate killings in Sudan." The coalition further asserted that "Ten consecutive days of drone strikes have killed at least 50 civilians across El Obeid and North Kordofan, and have caused significant damage to civilian infrastructure." The statement also noted, "Widespread credible reports of ethnically targeted violence, including sexual and gender-based violence, are deplorable."

El-Obeid holds a strategic position on a key route that connects the RSF-controlled Darfur region and army-controlled eastern regions. Government forces maintain their 5th Infantry Division and an airbase in el-Obeid. Ahmed Ben Omer, a Sudan analyst, said, "The city sits at the heart of a network linking Darfur, Kordofan and central Sudan." He added, "Control of it would give the RSF an opportunity to connect vast geographical areas and rebuild its political project after losing Khartoum." The RSF was expelled from Khartoum in March 2025. Leena Badri, a nonresident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, stated, "El-Fasher underwent a full, prolonged siege." She added, "El-Obeid is really an example of the pervasive use of drones, and how the use of drones then essentially creates the conditions of a siege without having them to do an actual full encirclement of the city."

The war in Sudan commenced in April 2023 when the RSF attacked Khartoum. More than 14 million people are either refugees or internally displaced due to the ongoing conflict. The RSF took control of el-Fasher in October 2025 following an 18-month siege that began in May 2024. In February 2026, an independent UN mission reported that the assault on el-Fasher bore the hallmarks of genocide. Amnesty International stated in July 2026 that massacres in el-Fasher amounted to ethnic cleansing.