RSF drones strike El Obeid, knocking out power and hospitals
June 19, 2026 (EL OBEID) – Sudanese paramilitary forces launched fresh drone strikes on El Obeid on Friday, local sources said, amid mounting warnings over a deteriorating humanitarian and security crisis in the North Kordofan state capital.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted several locations across the city, residents told Sudan Tribune. The bombardment came just hours after a strike on El Obeid’s main power transformer plunged the entire city and its surroundings into a total blackout.
The attack caps a week of daily RSF drone strikes on El Obeid, severely compromising security in a city that shelters hundreds of thousands of civilians, including many displaced by the wider conflict.
The Emergency Lawyers human rights group expressed grave concern over the intensifying military mobilization around the city. The group warned of an imminent risk of gross violations against civilians as the RSF masses forces outside the city while the Sudanese army mobilizes within.
The rights group condemned the targeting of the power grid and ongoing drone strikes on El Obeid, the nearby town of Al-Rahad, and connecting supply routes. The attacks have hit fuel stations and tankers, cutting off fuel vital for running local power stations, emergency services, and civilian transport.
Emergency Lawyers called for the immediate opening and securing of humanitarian corridors to allow free civilian movement and aid delivery under international law, urging the RSF to halt infrastructure attacks and the army to avoid using residential areas for military operations.
Separately, the Sudanese Doctors Network said on Friday that the deliberate shelling of the power and fuel infrastructure had forced critical medical facilities to close and shut down local water stations.
The network said the blackout had knocked out dialysis centres and hospital emergency departments, threatening the lives of more than one million residents and displaced persons who face severe shortages of drinking water, healthcare, and power.
The medical group called on United Nations and international organizations to pressure the RSF leadership to stop targeting civilian infrastructure and ensure the delivery of essential services.