RSF drone strike hits hospital in El-Obeid, leaving six dead
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El-Obeid, situated roughly 400 kilometers southwest of Khartoum, has long been a critical supply hub for the Sudanese Armed Forces in North Kordofan.
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In this photo provided by the Ambulance and Emergency Services in Kufra, rescuers prepare to carry bodies of twelve Sudanese migrants, fleeing the civil war in their home country, who were killed in a car crash in the desert, 90 kilometres north of the Libyan town of Kufra, Friday, May 30, 2025 (Ambulance and Emergency Services in Kufra via AP)
A drone attack by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) struck a hospital in the city of El-Obeid on Friday, killing six people and injuring 12 others, according to medical and military sources.
An army official told AFP that the RSF "launched a drone strike on the Social Insurance Hospital, killing six and wounding 12, simultaneously attacking residential areas of the city with heavy artillery." The official added that another hospital located in the city center was also damaged during the assault.
Staff at El-Obeid Hospital, the city's largest medical facility, confirmed the death toll and said the targeted hospital was forced to shut down due to the destruction caused by the drone strike.
⭕️Mashad Observatory: The Bombing of El-Obeid Hospital Is a Full-Fledged War Crime That Demands Immediate International Action.@arableague_gs @_AfricanUnion @USSESudan @WHO @Lamamra_UN @EU_SUDAN @UN @UKinSudan @DavidLammy @IGADsecretariat @ICRC_ar @CNkwetaSalami#Mashad_Org pic.twitter.com/dQxjCKS2Qn
, منظمة مشاد - Mashad Organization (@Mashad_org) May 30, 2025
El-Obeid, situated roughly 400 kilometers southwest of Khartoum, has long been a critical supply hub for the Sudanese Armed Forces in North Kordofan. Although government troops broke a prolonged RSF siege in February, the city remains vulnerable to repeated bombardments.
Its location makes it vital for army logistics, especially as they seek to maintain their hold over El-Fasher, the only remaining state capital in Darfur under army control. Clashes between RSF fighters and army units have continued along the route linking El-Obeid to El-Fasher.
In a related development, the RSF announced on Thursday that it had regained control of the town of Al-Khoei, located about 100 kilometers west of El-Obeid. The army had seized the town earlier this month.
Territorial Clash
The war between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, which erupted in April 2023, has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands and forced 13 million people to flee their homes.
The United Nations has described the conflict as the world's largest crisis in terms of both hunger and displacement.
As the fighting drags on, Sudan has effectively become divided. The military controls much of the country's center, north, and east, while RSF forces dominate Darfur and several areas in the south.
Following the loss of Khartoum in March, the RSF has relied on a combination of drone strikes and offensives in the southern regions to regain lost ground.
Read more: US to sanction Sudan over alleged use of chemical weapons in 2024
On Thursday, the paramilitary group also claimed to have recaptured Dibeibat, a town in South Kordofan about 100 kilometers south of El-Obeid. Like Al-Khoei, the army had taken it back earlier this month.
Parts of South Kordofan are controlled by a faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, which has aligned itself with the RSF.
