The besieged Sudanese city of El Obeid is facing a severe humanitarian crisis as the Rapid Support Forces encircle the city and unleash relentless drone strikes on critical civilian infrastructure. UN High Commissioner Volker Türk has issued a global "red alert" warning of imminent atrocities, drawing parallels to the devastating massacre in El Fasher. Meanwhile, a drone strike near Tendelti destroyed a UN aid truck carrying 50 metric tons of relief supplies, further crippling survival efforts for over 500,000 trapped residents.
El Obeid drone strikes
- ▪At least 45 people were killed and 41 injured in 15 drone strikes in El Obeid and surrounding areas from June 6 to June 28, 2026
- ▪Nohad Eltayeb of the Acled conflict monitoring group recorded 27 drone strikes around El Obeid in June 2026, the highest monthly total since the conflict began in 2023
RSF siege threat
- ▪The Sudanese Armed Forces constructed approximately 50 kilometers of defensive positions around El Obeid in anticipation of a siege
- ▪The Rapid Support Forces have encircled El Obeid and control all surrounding routes except towards the East, raising fears of an imminent ground offensive
Civilian infrastructure destruction
- ▪Drone strikes in El Obeid have targeted critical civilian infrastructure, including schools, fuel stations, markets, water facilities, and the main power station
- ▪A UN refugee agency-contracted truck carrying 50 metric tons of humanitarian relief supplies was destroyed by a drone strike near Tendelti on June 30, 2026
UN atrocity warnings
- ▪The UN International Organization for Migration reported that the number of newly displaced people across Kordofan rose by nearly two-thirds between April and July 2026
- ▪Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a red alert warning that another human rights catastrophe is unfolding in El Obeid
Foreign military support
- ▪The conflict in Sudan is fueled by foreign powers supporting opposing sides with arms, mercenaries, equipment, financing, and logistical support
- ▪A coalition of civil organizations referred high-level officials in the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Turkey, and Egypt to the International Criminal Court for aiding and abetting atrocity crimes in Darfur
El Fasher massacre precedent
- ▪The UN and rights groups warned that El Obeid faces a potential repeat of the October 2025 massacre in El Fasher, where 6,000 people were killed by the Rapid Support Forces
- ▪An independent UN fact-finding mission stated that the Rapid Support Forces' seizure of El Fasher showed the hallmarks of genocide against non-Arab communities
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