Children in Sudan's besieged city of el-Obeid are living in constant fear, with many too traumatized to attend school following drone attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that have struck civilian infrastructure, including a primary school where three children were killed. Aid groups are warning of a deepening humanitarian crisis in the strategically vital city.
Ahmed Awad, a native of el-Obeid and a project manager for children's rights organization Plan International, described the struggle for survival in the city, which once housed half a million people and now hosts several hundred thousand displaced individuals. He highlighted severe shortages of medical supplies, food, and safe, clean water, recalling seeing long lines at a single water pump where people might spend “all day to get one liter of water for two or three days.” Children and teenagers are frequently tasked with fetching water.
The drone strike on a primary school, which killed three children, has left deep psychological scars. Awad recounted a mother saying three of her children “cannot sleep because they are always in fear of something happening again.” Even within classrooms, children fear an imminent drone strike. Plan International, where Awad works, is providing psychological support to these affected children.
Francesco Lanino, deputy country director for the children's charity Save the Children in Sudan, echoed these concerns, stating that drone attacks on schools and displacement camps have caused severe trauma. He recently visited the Tawila displacement camp near el-Fasher in Darfur, which was taken over by the RSF in October. There, he encountered children struggling to process what had happened to them. Lanino noted, “We met several children who refused to speak afterwards.” Many found it difficult to understand why they had experienced such violence. Lanino warned of the long-term impact, fearing that unaddressed traumas “could seek revenge, because all this stress, all this trauma, could erupt in a new wave of violence.”
El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, is a crucial trading hub located on the only major route connecting Sudan's capital, Khartoum, which is controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and the western Darfur region, large parts of which are under RSF control. The city is currently held by the SAF, with approximately 13,000 soldiers stationed there, and has been a front-line area since fighting moved from Darfur to Kordofan at the beginning of the year. The RSF has positioned troops about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) beyond el-Obeid's limits, using drones to target civilian infrastructure like power grids, transformers, water treatment plants, schools, universities, and hospitals, causing enormous damage.
Analysts, aid organizations, and the United Nations have expressed fears that the RSF could soon capture el-Obeid. They point to the scenario in el-Fasher, in the neighboring state of North Darfur, in October 2025, where the RSF first bombed infrastructure before storming the city after an 18-month siege. Earlier this year, a UN Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva detailed atrocities during the capture of el-Fasher, identifying “hallmarks of genocide.” A joint appeal by numerous human rights organizations warned, “We warn that an escalation of the situation could lead to a repeat of the horrific human rights violations and abuses against civilians that we documented in Al-Fashir.” Pekka Haavisto, the UN chief's personal envoy for Sudan, stated in June, “We are alarmed by the ongoing hostilities around the city, including frequent drone strikes,” adding that “These are already affecting the civilians and disrupting humanitarian aid to the city. Any further escalation of the situation would place thousands of people at risk.”
In a recent development, Sudan's army launched a new offensive in Kordofan from Khartoum, announcing control of the 360-kilometer-long highway linking Omdurman, Khartoum's twin city, with el-Obeid. SAF Chief of Staff Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan recently inspected the newly captured areas in North Kordofan by helicopter and congratulated his troops, confirming reopened supply routes to SAF units in el-Obeid. Residents of the previously besieged city reportedly celebrated the army's arrival, as the immediate threat appeared to recede. However, as RSF fighters retreated, they looted markets and villages in North Kordofan and committed human rights violations against local residents, according to the Sudan Tribune media platform. Last Monday, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemeti,” instructed commanders in affected areas to launch counteroffensives at their own discretion without waiting for orders from the high command, a move that could lead to further attacks on civilians and additional looting.
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This article was first published on July 24, 2026. It was updated on July 31, 2026.
