Drone strike on Sudan prison kills 21, injures 47, medics and police say

May 10, 2025 (EL-OBEID) – A drone strike attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed 21 people and injured 47 at the national prison in El-Obeid, North Kordofan state, on Saturday, according to medical sources and a police official.

The RSF has intensified its shelling of Sudanese cities this month, a continuation of a campaign that began earlier this year, targeting civilian infrastructure such as power stations, fuel depots, and airports.

The Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement that 21 people were killed and 47 injured by RSF drones that targeted El-Obeid prison. It added that some of the injuries among the approximately 5,000 inmates were serious.

The network condemned the continued targeting of civilian facilities in El-Obeid and called on the United Nations and international organizations to pressure RSF leadership to stop what it described as escalating violations against unarmed civilians.

Medical sources said the injured were taken to medical facilities, including El-Obeid Teaching Hospital, and the dead were transported to the morgue.

North Kordofan State Police Director Major General Abdallah Abdel Rahman told reporters that the strike on El-Obeid prison killed 19 inmates and injured more than 40 others.

He said the army, General Intelligence Service, and police were working to secure the prison and evacuate the wounded, noting that a drone was still flying over the city, requiring measures to handle the situation.

The national prison in El-Obeid is located near the army’s 5th Infantry Division headquarters and is close to a military hospital, housing for army and police personnel, schools, hotels, and the water authority.