Nine Killed in Sudan’s El Obeid as RSF Drone Strikes Intensify

28 February 2026

A hall at Kordofan University, El Obeid, destroyed by RSF strike attack on Feb 28, 2026.

February 28, 2026 (EL OBEID) – At least nine people were killed and several others injured on Saturday when drone strikes hit El Obeid, the capital of Sudan’s North Kordofan State, local sources said.

The attacks destroyed consumer goods warehouses and an oil production factory in a significant escalation of aerial operations in the region.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have targeted the city with daily drone strikes over the past few weeks, causing extensive damage to infrastructure and service facilities.

The intensification of the strikes appears aimed at obstructing the Sudanese army’s westward advance toward the Darfur region and preventing the military from repositioning or reinforcing its deployment across the Kordofan states.

Local sources told Sudan Tribune that a swarm of “kamikaze” drones struck various parts of the city as the army attempted to intercept the attack.

Nine fatalities occurred when a drone struck a crowd of civilians who had gathered to inspect the site of an earlier bombardment at El Obeid’s main market.

The strikes hit the city’s commercial hub, destroying warehouses, retail shops, and automotive repair workshops. One of the city’s largest oil processing plants, owned by businessman Osman Abdel Latif, was also destroyed in the raid.

The aerial assault triggered several fires and caused significant material damage, sparking panic among residents.

The repeated targeting of El Obeid signals a potential surge in military activity in the Kordofan region. The Sudanese army has utilized the city as a primary operations hub for its western campaigns.

Recent field movements from the city allowed the army to break the RSF’s siege on the towns of Kadugli and Dilling in South Kordofan, marking a shift in the conflict’s trajectory in western Sudan.