July 5, 2026 — The besieged Sudanese city of El Obeid is being torn apart by an escalating wave of drone strikes, with aid workers on the ground describing the situation as "terrible" and warning that a new human rights catastrophe is unfolding. Over the past weekend alone, attacks hit schools and fuel stations, killing more than 20 people, including students, according to a local aid volunteer who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.
"The attacks this past weekend were the most violent so far," the volunteer said. "Over the past few months, seeing 40 or 45 drones is the norm. You can literally count them." The city, home to roughly half a million residents and about 100,000 displaced refugees, has become a key battleground in the grinding war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF has intensified its drone campaign to sever supply lines and break army defenses, raising the specter of a siege similar to the one that crippled the city in February 2025.
The United Nations human rights office documented at least 45 deaths and 41 injuries from 15 drone strikes in and around El Obeid between June 6 and June 28. Now, there are growing fears of a repeat of the massacre in El Fasher last year, where RSF fighters went on a rampage after capturing the city at the end of an 18-month siege. Amnesty International released a report Wednesday accusing the RSF of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in that campaign, while an independent UN fact-finding mission said the seizure bore the "hallmarks of genocide" against non-Arab communities.
On Friday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk delivered an urgent plea to delegates in Geneva during a special debate called by the UK and backed by Germany, Ireland, Norway, and the Netherlands. "The signs from El Obeid are clear and unmistakable: another human rights catastrophe is unfolding in Sudan," Türk said. "This is not a drill. It is a red alert that needs to land on the desks of heads of state and government around the world. Their phones should be running hot." As the RSF tightens its grip on key infrastructure, the international community faces mounting pressure to intervene before El Obeid becomes the next El Fasher.