The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) intensified their military campaign in Sudan’s Kordofan region on Friday, launching drone and artillery strikes on El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan. The assault left several civilians dead and rendered the city’s main hospital inoperable, deepening the humanitarian crisis in a region already strained by prolonged conflict.
Local witnesses confirmed that the Elobied International Hospital was struck by a drone, prompting the facility to halt services. It was the last operational hospital with adequate capacity to serve residents in the area.
At least five people were reported dead and ten others injured due to the shelling in El Obeid. Rights monitors, including the Emergency Lawyers group, stated that six civilians were killed in the hospital attack, with 15 more injured — including patients and their families. The group condemned the strike as a potential war crime, citing the hospital’s protected status under international law.
The Sudanese Foreign Ministry later reported that 28 civilians were killed in a series of RSF attacks across three towns: El Obeid, Al-Dubaibat (South Kordofan), and Al-Khawi (West Kordofan). According to the ministry, these attacks deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure, including marketplaces and residential neighborhoods.
In Al-Khawi, eight people reportedly died after a drone targeted a local market, while two more civilians were killed in Al-Dubaibat. Government officials labeled the actions as “heinous humanitarian crimes,” though independent verification remains difficult due to ongoing hostilities.
Meanwhile, the RSF claimed fresh territorial gains, announcing control over Al-Hammadi and Kazgail, both situated south of El Obeid. Fighters shared videos claiming the capture of Al-Khawi and movement toward El Obeid from Umm Samima. These developments come just a day after the RSF declared it had recaptured the strategic town of Al-Dubaibat.
The Sudanese Armed Forces have not issued an official response to the RSF’s claims, though the army had recently advanced in several contested areas across the Kordofan region.
The fighting in Kordofan marks another escalation in Sudan’s civil war, which has displaced millions and devastated infrastructure since its outbreak in April 2023. The RSF, a powerful paramilitary group once aligned with the Sudanese army, has been locked in a deadly rivalry with government forces, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.