At least fifteen people have lost their lives and another seven have been injured in a drone attack attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the south of El Obeid, capital of the Sudanese state of North Kordofan, a strategic city subjected to intense clashes in recent weeks.
In an official statement reported by the local newspaper "Sudan Tribune," the Sudanese government has condemned the attack by the paramilitary forces against "unarmed civilians," labeling it as "a flagrant violation of humanitarian law and basic norms." Furthermore, Jamaa Al Mahdi, spokesperson for the North Kordofan government, has stated that the attackers aimed to kill civilians and loot "several animals."
The authorities have indicated that the Army reacted immediately to pursue the attackers and subsequently secured full control of the area, while operations continue to repel the military forces from the capital of North Kordofan.
A military source on the ground has pointed out, according to the Chinese news agency "Xinhua," that the Berber area was targeted in two consecutive offensives, one on Thursday night and another early Friday. These attacks, launched by the RSF forces, aimed "against 15 army combat vehicles that were trying to seize the area," located about 31 kilometers south of El Obeid, he added.
This episode is part of the escalation of military operations in the Kordofan region, where the RSF have increased their activity in recent weeks.
El Obeid, with around half a million residents, has also become a refuge for about 100,000 displaced people from other parts of the country, according to United Nations data.
The conflict in Sudan erupted in April 2023 due to deep disagreements over the integration process of the paramilitary group within the Armed Forces, which ultimately derailed the transition initiated after the overthrow in 2019 of the regime of Omar Hasan al Bashir, already weakened after the coup that forced the fall of then-Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.