Sudan's El-Obeid people brace for possible RSF attack amid war crimes
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Residents of El-Obeid fear a Rapid Support Forces assault as violence spreads in Sudan, with warnings of intensified conflict in Kordofan.
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Displaced children and families from el-Fasher at a displacement camp where they sought refuge from fighting between government forces and the RSF, in Tawila, Darfur region, Sudan, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025 (AP)
Residents of El-Obeid in southern Sudan have reported living in fear as paramilitary forces seem to be positioning for a potential assault, while the army stated that it intercepted a drone attack launched by the RSF on the city on Saturday.
"We are particularly concerned after what happened in El-Fasher," Soaad Ali from the Karima neighborhood in El-Obeid told AFP, referring to the RSF’s takeover of the last army stronghold in western Darfur.
The takeover was followed by reports of mass killings, sexual violence, abductions, and looting, prompting international condemnation and raising fears that the conflict could spread into the oil-rich Kordofan region.
El-Obeid, which has an airport, lies on a crucial supply route connecting Darfur and Khartoum, and the UN reported that 40 people were killed in the city on Monday during an attack on a funeral.
"We are living in fear," said a resident of El-Obeid's Qubba neighbourhood, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, adding, "Officials try to reassure us, but... after what happened in Bara, our fears are growing."
UN warns of intensified hostilites
On Thursday, the RSF announced that it had accepted a truce proposal from mediators, but the UN later stated that it saw "no sign of de-escalation" and warned that further fighting could be expected. The day after the RSF said it backed the mediators' truce proposal, the UN warned of "preparations for intensified hostilities" in Sudan.
The body’s rights chief, Volker Turk, in particular, issued "a stark warning about events unfolding in Kordofan," adding that "Since the capture of El-Fasher, the civilian casualties, destruction and mass displacement there have been mounting. There is no sign of de-escalation."
A military source, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media, told AFP on Saturday that the army’s "air defence system today shot down a drone launched by the RSF militia towards" El-Obeid.
Humanitarian truce remains uncertain
The details of the ceasefire proposal put forward by the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates have not yet been made public.
A senior Saudi official told AFP that it outlined a three-month truce, during which both sides would be encouraged to hold talks in Jeddah on a permanent peace agreement.
While the Rapid Support Forces publicly announced that they support the truce, the Sudanese Army stated it rejects any ceasefire that does not include a full withdrawal of the RSF.
