23 Killed in Sudan Strikes on El-Obeid Residential Areas and Funeral
Drone strikes have killed up to 23 people in the central Sudanese city of el-Obeid, with rights groups attributing the deaths to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces amid ongoing Sudan strikes that have intensified in the region. [1] Local officials and groups reported the overnight attacks hit residential areas, a funeral gathering at a cemetery, a truck carrying food supplies, and areas near army positions. [1] [2]
Casualties from El-Obeid Drone Strikes
Emergency Lawyers reported 23 killed and 19 wounded in the strikes on el-Obeid. [1] [2] El-Obeid Hospital officials said 15 were killed and more than 10 wounded. [1] Two children and their mother were among the dead, according to a medical source. [2] The attacks struck residential neighborhoods including Al-Muwazafin and Al-Matar, where roofs of houses collapsed on occupants. [2] A resident of the Al-Matar neighbourhood described the aftermath, noting that some houses appeared as if no one could have survived. [2] Another resident of the Al-Qubba neighbourhood reported seeing more than seven bodies brought to a local hospital. [2] The strikes also hit a funeral gathering and a truck carrying food supplies, as well as areas near army positions. [1] [3]
Sequence of Attacks
The series of attacks began on Wednesday evening and continued into Thursday. [2] [3] Five civilians were killed and 12 wounded in the initial strikes. [2] A subsequent attack targeted mourners gathered at a cemetery, killing four people and injuring seven others. [2] [3] Further strikes hit homes in the Al-Muwazafin and Al-Matar neighbourhoods on the eastern edge of the city, as well as areas around the headquarters of the Fifth Infantry Division in the city centre. [2] [3] Thirteen civilians were killed as they gathered near damaged houses. [2] [3] In a separate incident early Thursday, a drone strike hit a truck carrying food supplies at the southern entrance to el-Obeid, killing the driver and destroying the cargo. [2] [3]
Drone strikes hit residential areas and a funeral in El-Obeid, Sudan, killing 23 people. — Source: thenewarab
Attribution and Responsibility
Emergency Lawyers and Sudan Doctors Network blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for the attacks. [1] [2] [3] The RSF has not commented or claimed responsibility for the strikes. [1] [2] [3] Claims could not be independently verified. [1] [2] Neither side has claimed responsibility for a similar recent drone strike on a market in Abu Zaeima that killed at least 11 people. [1]
Strategic Importance of El-Obeid
El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, remains under army control and has been partially encircled for months by paramilitary forces. [1] [2] The city sits on a key route linking RSF-held areas in Darfur to army-controlled regions in the east. [1] [2] Kordofan remains a key battleground in the conflict, with analysts noting that whoever controls the region effectively controls the country's oil supply as well as a large chunk of the country. [3] Fighting has intensified in recent months in the Kordofan region and Blue Nile state near the Ethiopian border, particularly after the RSF captured el-Fasher last October, the army's last major stronghold in western Darfur. [1] [2] [3]
Drone strikes killed 23 people in residential areas and a funeral gathering in el-Obeid, Sudan. — Source: bbc
Rise of Drone Warfare in Sudan Conflict
Drone warfare has become an increasingly prominent feature of Sudan's conflict, which erupted in April 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. [1] [2] The United Nations reported that at least 880 civilians had been killed in drone strikes nationwide between January and April. [1] [2] This incident follows a recent unclaimed strike on a market in Abu Zaeima that killed at least 11 people and injured dozens more. [1] The attacks illustrate the growing role of unmanned aircraft in the fighting that has continued without resolution. [1] [2]
Broader Impact of the War
The wider conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 11 million from their homes. [2] [3] The fighting has created what the UN describes as the world's largest displacement and hunger crises. [1] [2] [3] There are no reliable figures for the overall death toll, but it is thought to be at least 150,000 and could be as much as 400,000. [3] El-Obeid has been targeted in several drone attacks in the three-year civil war that began after the leaders of the army and RSF fell out over the future direction of the country. [3]
What to watch next: Fighting has intensified in the Kordofan region after the RSF captured el-Fasher, with el-Obeid continuing to face repeated drone attacks on civilian areas as the conflict shows no end in sight. [2] [3]
