Sudanese paramilitary forces mass near El Obeid ahead of expected assault
June 15, 2026 (EL OBEID) – Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have deployed unprecedented military reinforcements around El Obeid, military sources said on Monday, amid expectations of a large-scale ground assault within the next 72 hours.
The capital of North Kordofan state has been under a tight RSF siege since the early months of the war, severely deteriorating security and living conditions for residents.
The Sudanese army managed to break the blockade in February 2025, subsequently transforming the strategic city into an advanced military operations centre for the Kordofan and Darfur regions.
The RSF currently controls vast areas of North Kordofan, with the exception of the Sheikan, Um Rawaba, and Al-Rahad localities situated along the national highway connecting North Kordofan to White Nile State and the capital, Khartoum.
Military sources told Sudan Tribune that the RSF mobilized large numbers of fighters from Darfur and West Kordofan states, backed by armoured vehicles and heavy combat machinery, to target the army’s defensive lines around the city.
The paramilitary forces have taken up positions in several strategic areas around El Obeid, including En Nahud and Al-Khuwei, as well as Um Samima and Abu Ga’oud to the west.
Sources also reported additional build-ups in the Kazgail and Al-Rayash areas south of El Obeid, alongside major troop concentrations in Bara and Jurayjikh to the north, stoking fears of a multi-axis offensive.
In response, the Sudanese air force has maintained continuous sorties targeting RSF positions and movements around the city, seeking to disperse the gatherings and disrupt any potential advance.
The RSF has destroyed approximately eight fuel stations over the past three days and targeted fuel trucks in the Al-Rahad and Um Rawaba areas using drones, according to the sources.
The drone strikes also destroyed ammunition and weapons depots inside the headquarters of the army’s 5th Infantry Division in El Obeid, in a move sources described as an attempt to deplete the city’s fuel and military supplies.
El Obeid serves as a critical transit point for displaced persons fleeing West and South Kordofan toward White Nile State and Khartoum, as more people flee Dilling and Kadugli amid ongoing attacks by the RSF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.