El-Obeid: Dawn Of A New Life As Siege Is Lifted
El-Obeid is more than just the capital of North Kordofan State and one of Sudan’s largest and most significant cities. It hosts the country’s largest cash crop market and is home to the world’s largest gum Arabic exchange. All of this was severely impacted by the nearly two-year siege that the city endured.
Due to its geographical location, El-Obeid is a crucial junction for multiple trade routes, including the Western Export Road (Omdurman – Bara – El-Obeid), which extends to Al-Fashir in North Darfur. Additionally, the city holds strategic importance as it is traversed by the oil pipeline running from South Sudan to Port Sudan. It also serves as a key link between the Kordofan and Darfur regions, the capital Khartoum, and the central states.
On February 23, the Sudanese army announced that it had successfully broken the siege imposed on El-Obeid by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since late April 2023. The army’s Al-Sayyad Task Force conducted a series of military operations, capturing the towns of Umm Rawaba and Al-Rahad before advancing through the Kordofan mountains and entering El-Obeid from the south. A statement by Sudanese army spokesperson Brigadier General Nabil Abdullah confirmed that Al-Sayyad Task Force had secured the road to El-Obeid and joined forces with Al-Hajana cavalry unit.
SAF soldiers shared videos from the city’s entrance, capturing the moment when Al-Sayyad Task Force linked up with Al-Hajana forces. They were received by the commander of the Fifth Division upon entry, followed by civilians pouring into the streets to celebrate the lifting of the siege.
As Al-Sayyad Task Force entered, RSF forces fired shells at the city twice from the southeastern direction over a span of two hours, prompting the SAF to respond. Some areas, such as Al-Safa neighbourhood, were affected by the shelling. The task force entered El-Obeid via the main road connecting it to Kosti and Umm Rawaba.
Throughout the siege, RSF forces periodically shelled the city, leading to numerous civilian casualties. The blockade also caused a severe deterioration in the healthcare system, shutting down most medical facilities, including Al-Dhaman Hospital, High Care Clinic, the British Clinic, and two maternity clinics. The city’s main teaching hospital was operating at only 20 per cent capacity. The prices of medicine skyrocketed, and some essential drugs and medical solutions became unavailable as most pharmaceutical companies only delivered supplies to safer areas. The last safe location from which medicines were transported to El-Obeid was Ad-Dabba, where convoys, accompanied by allied military forces, traveled on dirt roads. However, these convoys were often looted, discouraging many drug traders from supplying the city. Medical staff also went on strike due to unpaid salaries, according to one resident.
The siege led to a severe shortage of essential goods, with skyrocketing food prices. Supplies reached traders at varying costs, depending on checkpoint fees paid for safe passage. The mode of payment also influenced prices, with cash transactions differing from digital payments via the “Bankak” system. At its peak, sugar cost 5,000 Sudanese pounds per kilogramme, cooking oil 3,000 pounds per pound, onions 20,000 pounds per malwa (traditional unit), and lentils 10,000 pounds per kilogramme. Prices fluctuated based on RSF’s willingness to allow traders into the city.
El-Obeid also suffered from prolonged power and water outages, along with lack of cooking gas. With telecommunications services cut off, residents relied on Starlink for Internet access, paying 4,000 pounds per hour. The cash shortage spurred a new trade, where those with physical cash charged a 30 per cent fee for money transfers.
With the entry of Al-Sayyad Task Force and the lifting of the siege, food prices dropped significantly within just two days. The price of sugar fell to 2,800 pounds per kilogramme, cooking oil to 2,400 pounds per pound, onions to 2,500 pounds per malwa, and lentils to 2,400 pounds per kilogram.
Al-Qitiynah: Regains Control But Normalcy In Service Provision Still A Mirage
After three days of intense clashes, the Sudanese army regained control of Al- Qitiynah in White Nile State, bringing relief to residents who had suffered for months under the grip of the RSF. The city, however, continues to face a dire humanitarian situation, with communication networks, electricity, and water supplies still cut off.
Witnesses told Atar that the RSF withdrew from the city on Tuesday, February 18, only to return the next day with reinforcements and launch a fierce attack. The RSF reportedly assaulted civilians with whips, arrested some residents, and confiscated mobile phones at gunpoint.
One witness confirmed that three civilians were killed by RSF gunfire, noting that one of the victims was found decomposing in an abandoned house. The witness added that the RSF stormed homes, forcibly evicted residents, and threatened some with execution, prompting many to flee.
A resident who was wounded in the violence said he had to walk five kilometres with his children, amid gunfire, in search of safety. Most of the city’s population has fled the violence, seeking refuge in villages such as Umm Maradah, Sheikh Musa, Al-Haj Musa, Kambo Mohammed, Wad Al-Akli, Wad Al-Noura, Wad Al-Hitra, and Neimah.
Although the army has entered Al- Qitiynah, the Sheikh Al-Siddiq area in the locality and several villages in Umm Ramta remain under RSF control, complicating the security situation and preventing the return of normal life in those areas.
On Monday, February 24, an official delegation visited the city to assess the situation. The delegation included the executive director of Al- Qitiynah locality, the local police chief, the White Nile State Minister of Health, and the director of Al- Qitiynah Teaching Hospital. They described the situation as catastrophic, without providing further details. Meanwhile, a security source told Atar that authorities had dispatched a medical convoy to Al- Qitiynah Teaching Hospital, which is suffering from severe shortages in medical services. The source also confirmed that intelligence and police forces would soon begin operations in the city to restore security.
Meanwhile, many displaced residents remain unable to contact their families due to the ongoing disruption of communication and Internet services, exacerbating their suffering. A displaced woman in Ad-Diweem told Atar that she had lost contact with her family three days before the army entered the city and had no way of knowing their condition. She expressed deep concern for her mother, who suffers from chronic illnesses.
She added that she has been following all the videos posted on social media about the city, hoping to catch a glimpse of her family but has found no trace of them so far. She urged authorities to reopen the Ad-Diweem–Al- Qitiynah road and restore communication and electricity services.
Despite the army’s recapture of Al- Qitiynah, the humanitarian situation remains critical. The city is still without electricity and water and basic healthcare services are nonexistent, making the return to normal life extremely difficult under these dire conditions.
Al-Fashir: Residents Stare At Medical Crisis As Only One Hospital Remains Open
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have tightened their grip on the residents of Al-Fashir, targeting civilians and healthcare facilities and forcing more than two-thirds of the population to flee to various areas surrounding the city. All healthcare facilities have been rendered inoperable due to systematic shelling, leaving the Saudi Specialized Hospital for Obstetrics and Gynecology as the only functioning hospital in Al-Fashir.
Despite being repeatedly bombed, 14 times in a single week, the hospital continues to operate, albeit at only 30 per cent capacity. One of the attacks, carried out by a strategic drone, killed nearly 80 people, according to a hospital staff member.
As RSF attacks on displaced persons camps in and around Al-Fashir intensified, pressure on the hospital increased amid severe shortages of medical supplies and personnel.
Hospital volunteers said Relief International had promised to provide the necessary supplies but had been unable to fulfill the urgent needs due to delays imposed by the State Ministry of Health, which requested amendments to the technical agreement before signing. Despite being informed of this three months ago, the organisation has yet to take action, despite repeated pleas from medical staff and activists. The State Ministry of Health has lodged a complaint with the Federal Ministry of Health regarding the delay but has yet to receive a response.
The hospital is now on the brink of shutting down, with medical staff resorting to deducting from their own stipends to cover basic needs.
Due to the escalating violence in western Al-Fashir and the Zamzam displacement camp, and the RSF’s recent wave of attacks, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has announced the suspension of its operations in Al-Fashir, including its field hospital in Jafalo, north of the Zamzam camp.
In a statement, MSF revealed that its field hospital had received approximately 139 injured patients from the camp and surrounding areas. It also reported that 11 people, including five children, had died due to the hospital’s inability to provide necessary medical care.
Currently, the Saudi Hospital is the only facility performing surgeries in North Al-Fashir.
