Sudan’s civil war is entering a dangerous new phase as intensified drone attacks target the city of El Obeid, a strategic commercial hub in North Kordofan. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), looking to seize the city from the Sudanese Armed Forces, have struck fuel depots, power infrastructure, and water facilities. This has resulted in disruptions to essential services for more than 600,000 residents, including displaced people. While officials fear a massacre echoing El Fasher’s, where UN investigators found genocide hallmarks last October, experts note El Obeid lacks that city’s ethnic dimension and imminent siege signs. Aid agencies warn that the immediate threat is a devastating cholera outbreak fueled by collapsing healthcare, unsafe water, and soaring fuel prices, with gasoline nearing $15 per liter. The attacks could provide the RSF with strategic leverage if they weaken government control over the city. In contrast, the worsening humanitarian conditions mean that civilians bear the greatest cost, with shrinking access to basic services and safe passage.
Financial Times