The city of Al-Obeid, capital of North Kordofan state, is grappling with mounting security and economic hardship as military activity intensifies along its outskirts.
In recent weeks, attacks by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) drones have accelerated in particular, with the city now coming under aerial assault more than once a day.
The wave of strikes, largely concentrated on fuel stations across the city, has stretched for nearly 10 days beginning on June 6.
On June 10, drones struck Dalil Cemetery in central Al-Obeid and a fuel station, killing five people. A day later, on June 11, drone attacks hit multiple locations across the city, including the Airport and Al-Muwazafin neighbourhoods and areas surrounding the headquarters of the Fifth Infantry Division, leaving 16 people dead.
On June 14, another drone targeted a fuel station. Shelling resumed again on June 15.
A local source told Atar that the drones have targeted residential districts, civilian homes and public service facilities. The source said the bombardment has become almost a daily occurrence, typically in the morning and evening hours.
Fuel stations, the source said, remain among the most frequently hit sites, with between eight and 10 stations reportedly struck in recent weeks.
On Thursday, June 18, the Alliance to Prevent Mass Atrocities and Advance Justice in Sudan, a coalition comprising the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, Norway and Sierra Leone, issued a statement addressing developments in Al-Obeid. The statement was additionally endorsed by 21 countries outside the alliance.
Nearly 500,000 civilians, including more than 100,000 displaced people, could be at risk if fighting escalates further.
UN Security Council statement, 21 June 2026
The coalition condemned what it described as “10 consecutive days of drone strikes on Al-Obeid and across North Kordofan,” attacks that it said had killed at least 50 people. It called on the Rapid Support Forces to immediately halt their offensive on Al-Obeid and urged all parties to de-escalate and adhere to international law.
The international concern deepened on June 21, when members of the UN Security Council expressed alarm over reports of significant military reinforcements around Al-Obeid and warned of an “imminent risk of mass atrocities” in the city. The Council called on the RSF to immediately halt its assault on Al-Obeid and urged all parties to cease hostilities, warning that nearly 500,000 civilians, including more than 100,000 displaced people, could be at risk if fighting escalates further. The Council’s warning echoed concerns raised by UN officials that Al-Obeid could face a humanitarian catastrophe similar to previous assaults on major urban centres in Darfur.
RSF Positions
According to information obtained by Atar from multiple sources, RSF units have encircled the city from three directions: the south, west and north. RSF fighters launch intermittent daily raids against Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) positions surrounding Al-Obeid.
To the south, RSF troops are stationed in the village of Um Arda, approximately 25 kilometres from the city centre. On the western axis, the group maintains major fortified positions in Abu Gaoud, with additional positions farther back in Umm Samima. Abu Gaoud lies roughly 50 kilometres from central Al-Obeid.
RSF forces are also deployed to the northwest in Jabal Abu Sunun, about 35 kilometres from the city centre, and in Ad-Dankoj, located approximately 25 kilometres north of Al-Obeid and 15 kilometres off the Bara–Al-Obeid Road.
RSF fighters have also attempted to infiltrate areas close to the city, prompting authorities, according to multiple sources in Al-Obeid, to construct an earthen perimeter around the city. The defenses have been reinforced with dozens of barricades, defensive trenches and sand fortifications at key entry points and around several strategic military sites.
A security source based in the city, who requested anonymity, told Atar that Umm Samima, Abu Gaoud and Jabal Sunun serve as principal RSF staging grounds from which the group launches probing attacks against SAF positions surrounding Al-Obeid.
The source described the security measures as a full-scale state of preparedness aimed at repelling any assault on the city.
Alongside consolidating control over several areas surrounding Al-Obeid, the RSF is also attempting to sever the road linking Bara, which it controls, to Omdurman, in a bid to deepen its hold over North Kordofan.
Meanwhile, the area of Raihid al-Nuba, west of Omdurman, has become a shifting frontline between the SAF and RSF forces and remains the last buffer zone separating North Kordofan from Khartoum state.
Locations of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) positions in El Obeid
Source: Google Earth Pro
The images on the right were captured in April 2026 and show what appears to be an earthen berm around the city. The newer sections of it are concentrated on the western and southwestern sides. This berm is not visible in the image on the left, which was captured in June 2025.
Source: Google Earth Pro
Rising Prices and Growing Fear
More people are trying to leave Al-Obeid, and securing a ticket now requires booking at least two days in advance.
Mohammed Adam, trader in Al-Obeid market
The deteriorating security situation and sustained drone attacks have triggered fuel shortages and sharp increases in consumer prices across the city. Traders have largely refrained from bringing new goods into local markets because of security risks and soaring transport costs.
A resident of the city told Atar that repeated strikes on fuel stations disrupted distribution networks and drove prices sharply higher on the parallel market.
Official prices stand at 33,000 Sudanese pounds ($9.85) per gallon of gasoline and 42,000 pounds ($12.54) per gallon of diesel. On the parallel market, gasoline sells for between 150,000 ($44.78) and 185,000 pounds ($55.22) per gallon, while diesel ranges between 80,000 ($23.88) and 90,000 pounds ($26.87).
The surge has deepened the transportation crisis, leading to severe overcrowding at transit points across the city.
Several residents said internal transport routes have nearly ground to a halt, while long-distance bus fares have soared dramatically. Tickets are increasingly being sold on the black market, with no fixed pricing in place.
Despite mounting pressure, the source said residents of Al-Obeid continue trying to preserve a sense of normalcy and adapt to deteriorating conditions. Yet the persistence of attacks and the decline of essential public services remain an inescapable part of daily life.
According to workers in Al-Obeid’s market, the price of a 50-kilogramme sack of sugar has climbed to about 290,000 Sudanese pounds ($86.57), while a 36-pound container of cooking oil now costs 240,000 pounds ($71.64) and a 25-kilogramme sack of flour sells for 75,000 pounds ($22.39).
The flow of goods into Al-Obeid from outside the city has slowed markedly over the past three weeks. Traders have, meanwhile, begun offloading consumer goods whose prices have surged to extreme levels.
RSF drone attacks have also expanded to target cargo trucks transporting goods and fuel.
Mohammed Adam, a pseudonym, a trader in Al-Obeid’s market who was displaced from the city of En Nahud, said he worked in the vegetable trade for more than two and a half years before the war forced him to leave his hometown after his shop was looted.
Adam arrived in Al-Obeid in September 2025 and shifted into selling bags, clothing and cosmetics in an attempt to rebuild economic stability after his initial loss. But recent economic and security developments have revived fears of displacement once again.
Adam told Atar signs of stagnation became increasingly visible after Eid al-Adha and worsened as the US dollar rose in the parallel market, driving further increases in commodity prices.
The repeated targeting of fuel stations in Al-Obeid has led to severe transport shortages and soaring delivery costs, directly affecting commercial activity across the market.
Despite these conditions, Adam insists the situation has not driven traders to abandon their daily routines or stop going to the market. He estimates that his sales have declined by around 20 per cent in recent weeks, but notes that Al-Obeid remains a major commercial hub for the Kordofan region. As a result, some sectors have slowed while others continue to expand in response to residents’ shifting needs.
Adam also describes noticeable changes in population movement across the city, saying the main transport terminal has experienced growing congestion as more people seek to leave.
Securing a ticket, he says, now requires booking at least two days in advance, a development he views as a sign of mounting public anxiety and a growing desire among some residents to leave the city.
Adam added that the rising exchange rate of the US dollar forced him to increase prices by 10 per cent to keep pace with escalating costs. Some products, he said, have seen particularly sharp increases, including bags, whose wholesale price per dozen rose by 15 per cent or more, climbing from 320,000 Sudanese pounds ($95.52) to nearly 380,000 pounds ($113.43).
Although he has considered moving east if a direct threat to the city becomes certain, Adam said he does not want to lose his business for a second time.
He explained that he has become more cautious in managing his trade, particularly in securing and transporting goods well in advance. Despite the hardship, he said conditions have not yet reached the point of closing his shop or leaving the market.
“The decision to stay or leave differs from one trader to another depending on personal circumstances and risk assessments. Even so, traders are trying to hold on, continue working and hope conditions improve in the coming period.”
Ali Jano, a trader at Al-Obeid’s agricultural commodities exchange, said the recent surge in drone attacks has cast a shadow over daily life in the city, where fear and anxiety have become increasingly widespread among residents despite continued displays of resilience and determination in the face of current conditions.
Jano said the agricultural commodities sector has been among the hardest hit in recent weeks due to declining supplies arriving from production areas across Darfur and Kordofan.
The disruption has led to shortages of certain crops and driven prices to unprecedented levels. A tonne of peanuts now sells for 6 million Sudanese pounds ($1,791.04), while a qintar of gum arabic has hit 700,000 pounds ($208.96).
According to Jano, the disruption has contributed to a downturn in activity at Al-Obeid’s commodities exchange and pushed the market into stagnation. Several traders, companies and manufacturers have either scaled back or exited commercial operations altogether. He noted that Al-Obeid’s markets rely heavily on agricultural products and commodities flowing in from the Darfur and Kordofan regions, making any disruption to supply chains immediately visible in both local markets and residents’ livelihoods.
Jano added that the crisis has extended beyond agricultural commodities and into the livestock sector, where meat prices have risen sharply in recent months.
Beef currently sells at 40,000 Sudanese pounds ($11.94) per kilogramme, while lamb has reached 46,000 pounds ($13.73) per kilogramme.
He said the broader economic downturn and the rising cost of foreign currencies have translated directly into higher prices across multiple categories of goods.
Several traders also complained about increasing tax and levy burdens, which have prompted some suppliers to reduce or suspend shipments into the city because of shrinking profit margins, further contributing to shortages of certain goods in local markets.
Jano warned that if current conditions persist, Al-Obeid could face a genuine catastrophe affecting nearly every aspect of life, particularly agriculture.
The planting season has already begun and requires substantial quantities of fuel to operate farming equipment. Farmers across North Kordofan, particularly in Ar-Rahad and Umm Rawaba, started this season hoping to improve their economic conditions after missing two consecutive agricultural cycles without cultivation.
Water Shortages and a Health Crisis
The hospital’s greatest challenge at present is the fear of being directly targeted at any moment.
Medical source at Al-Obeid Teaching Hospital
The city is also facing an acute drinking water crisis following the destruction of northern water sources in Ad-Dankoj, an area under RSF control, alongside declining production from southern water sources that have been severely affected by electricity outages. Several residents described the water shortage as unprecedented in the city’s history.
According to Atar’s monitoring, the price of a barrel of water in some parts of Al-Obeid has ranged between 15,000 Sudanese pounds ($4.48) and 21,000 Sudanese pounds ($6.27). In certain neighbourhoods, a jerrycan of water sells for about 3,000 pounds ($0.90).
Water queues have become part of daily life, with dozens of donkey carts queuing outside pumping stations in hopes of securing supplies.
A source who spoke to Atar on condition of anonymity said tanker trucks that previously transported water have stopped operating because of security threats linked to drone activity.
Sources added that the RSF has increasingly targeted moving vehicles inside the city, including those carrying drinking water.
Health conditions have also deteriorated as prolonged electricity outages and shortages of essential medicines, including intravenous fluids, strain the system. At the same time, aid organizations have struggled to deliver assistance safely into the city because of security risks along transport routes.
A medical source at Al-Obeid Teaching Hospital told Atar that although the city has not experienced direct attacks in recent weeks, drones have continued targeting it persistently, resulting in civilian casualties.
According to the source, approximately 25 people were killed over the past week, while most injuries resulted from shrapnel or drones crashing into residential homes.
The source added that hospital operations have been affected by the atmosphere of fear accompanying the attacks, particularly given difficulties using lighting at certain times, but emphasized that medical staff and treatment supplies remain available.
The source explained that the hospital’s greatest challenge at present is the fear of being directly targeted at any moment, in addition to the difficulty of moving across the city because of the fuel crisis, whose shortages have disrupted nearly every aspect of daily life, including health services.
The source added that some health facilities are struggling to secure drinking water for medical staff and patients at a time when the city is grappling with water shortages, soaring commodity prices and limited mobility.
Electricity outages during the past week lasted four consecutive days, further deepening the crisis before conditions stabilized somewhat in recent days.
Displaced and Under Threat
Al-Obeid’s hardship has been compounded by the presence of thousands of displaced people living across the city in makeshift shelters lacking even the most basic necessities. Most of them arrived from Bara, Ad-Debeibat, Al-Hamadi, Kazgil and An-Nuhud.
According to local sources, displaced residents face multiple risks, including rising prices, water scarcity and the inability to flee for a second time after exhausting their savings. Children, women and older people make up the majority of those affected.
The situation has revived painful memories among residents of the prolonged siege that lasted from 2024 until November 2025.
Today, fear and uncertainty once again shape daily life, prompting many families to leave their homes in search of safety.
On Wednesday, June 17, Maj. Gen. Al-Siddiq al-Jaili, commander of the Fifth Division, accompanied by the governor of North Kordofan, addressed worshippers at Al-Obeid’s Old Mosque, assuring them that the security situation remained stable and that the city was protected by the Haggana forces and its residents.
Despite official military and security reassurances, several residents told Atar that their daily observations suggest a different reality.
They pointed to heightened military readiness and the construction of dozens of checkpoints and defensive trenches around the city as signs that security authorities are not ruling out the possibility of an assault.
