Drone Strikes Hit Schools as Sudan's El Obeid Bears Brunt of War

Aid workers trapped in the besieged North Kordofan capital say attacks on civilian infrastructure have reached their worst intensity yet as the army and RSF paramilitary battle for control.

El Obeid, capital of Sudan's North Kordofan state, has been struck repeatedly by drone attacks targeting schools and civilian sites.
Aid workers on the ground described conditions as the most violent they have witnessed since the war began in April 2023.
The city sits at a strategic crossroads, making it a key prize in the ongoing conflict between Sudan's armed forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Humanitarian operations have been severely disrupted, with workers describing daily life as barely sustainable under sustained bombardment.
The Guardian reported the accounts of multiple aid workers on 4 July 2026, citing direct testimony from personnel inside the city.

Drone strikes are hitting schools and knocking out civilian infrastructure in El Obeid, Sudan, as the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF paramilitary enters what aid workers call its most destructive phase yet.

Multiple humanitarian workers inside the besieged city told the Guardian on 4 July 2026 that conditions were “terrible” and deteriorating by the day.

El Obeid is the capital of North Kordofan state and a strategic supply hub. Both the SAF and the Rapid Support Forces have fought to control it since Sudan's civil war erupted in April 2023, killing tens of thousands and displacing more than 12 million people.

Aid workers described drone strikes landing on school buildings and utility sites, compounding a humanitarian crisis that has already left the city cut off from regular supply routes.

The RSF has used drone warfare extensively across Sudan in 2025 and 2026. SAF forces have responded in kind. Neither side has issued a statement on the El Obeid strikes reviewed by the Wail at time of publication.

United Nations relief agencies have repeatedly flagged North Kordofan as one of Sudan's most under-served conflict zones. A UN humanitarian coordination briefing on Sudan is scheduled for later in July.