Sudan: Civilians in Sudan's El Obeid Trapped Between Drones and Incarceration

What the report says

UN-appointed investigators warned that civilians in Sudan’s city of El Obeid are facing two forms of pressure at once: drone strikes attributed to the Rapid Support Forces and arrests, detention and alleged torture by Sudanese Armed Forces-linked security units. The warning came in a report released on Wednesday by the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan, which said the conflict has become more spread out and more technologically advanced, increasing the risks to civilians.

According to the mission, RSF drone attacks have damaged homes, schools, displacement sites and basic services such as water and electricity. The investigators also said the strikes may amount to war crimes. In parallel, they said SAF-affiliated actors have stepped up surveillance and targeted people involved in humanitarian, human rights and peace work. The report said El Obeid Central Prison is severely overcrowded, with about 2,000 detainees in a facility built for roughly 450.

The mission tied the findings to Sudan’s wider war, which began in April 2023 after fighting broke out between former allies turned rival military forces. It also said October had seen the highest number of drone attacks on civilians since the conflict started. The investigators called for stronger international action, including expanding the UN arms embargo beyond Darfur to cover all of Sudan. Their comments add to growing concern that the war is deepening civilian suffering and undermining access to health care, aid and basic services.