Life under siege, life in El Obeid

28 June 2026 

The Rapid Support Forces’ current siege of El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, has been, unlike earlier attacks, strategic and methodical.  Drones first targeted fuel stations and then electrical generators, effectively making life unbearable for civilians and driving them to evacuate the city. El Obeid has a population of roughly half a million, including between 100,000 and 200,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have already fled violence in other parts of Sudan. “In our assessment, the apparent objective of  these attacks is to undermine the basic services that civilians depend on in their daily lives,” one El Obied resident told Ayin. 

But despite the impending threat and daily fear of drone strikes and shelling, the people of El Obeid remain resilient. “I work as a trader in the market and we’re still here,” one local resident said. “We haven’t stopped working despite the constant drone activity, day and night.” Part of this resilience reflects past experiences the people of El Obeid have endured. As the conflict began in April 2023, the RSF surrounded the city for nearly two years until the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) broke the siege in February last year.  “At one point the city endured seven months without electricity, water or telecommunications,” the El Obeid resident reflected. “Yet its residents persevered.”