EL OBEID, Sudan — Eight months after the fall of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, to the Rapid Support Forces, growing fears are emerging that El Obeid could suffer a similar fate. The city, home to more than half a million people, serves as the capital of North Kordofan State and has long been a key commercial hub known for its trade in gum arabic and livestock.
Since the war broke out, however, El Obeid’s role has fundamentally changed. The city has become a critical humanitarian hub supporting communities across the wider Kordofan region. In February 2025, the Sudanese army broke an almost two-year RSF siege on the city, but recent developments have once again placed the population in grave danger.
UN agencies have warned in recent weeks of a significant RSF buildup around El Obeid, raising fears of renewed fighting and putting civilians at increasing risk. “We must not allow the horrors that we saw in El Fasher to be repeated in El Obeid,” officials have cautioned, referencing the atrocities documented in North Darfur.
During a UN Security Council briefing, officials warned that the window to prevent a wider escalation was rapidly narrowing. The UN Security Council has expressed alarm over reports of substantial military reinforcements by the Rapid Support Forces around El Obeid, with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warning that an imminent offensive must be halted to prevent catastrophic human rights disasters.
Recent drone attacks have also been reported in areas around El Obeid, including along a key highway near the city of Umm Rawaba. According to the United Nations, further reports of drone attacks overnight have been documented, and for now, the area remains inaccessible.
Humanitarian colleagues and their partners are focusing on moving food and other supplies into the city while preparing for the potential movements of large numbers of people in the immediate area. The humanitarian situation in Sudan remains dire, with more than 14 million people displaced by the war and about 30 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
The conflict began in 2023 after a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, plunging the country into a devastating war that has now entered its third year. With the RSF continuing to target army-held areas through long-range drone attacks and military reinforcements, the situation in El Obeid represents a critical flashpoint in Sudan’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.