Drone strike kills two displaced people in Sudan’s El Obeid, state government says
June 22, 2026 (EL OBEID) – A drone strike on a shelter camp in El Obeid killed two displaced persons and wounded 17 others, the North Kordofan state government said on Monday, amid worsening utility blackouts and troop mobilizations around the city.
The attack targeted the Unified Shelter Camp in the state capital. The government statement noted that nine children were among the wounded, adding that the victims had been transferred to local health facilities for medical care.
The state government strongly condemned the strike, calling the targeting of civilian facilities and shelter camps a violation of international charters that underscores a deliberate intent to destabilize secure areas.
The incident comes amid an escalation of drone attacks attributed to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeting critical infrastructure, including fuel and power stations. The shelling has knocked out electricity and cut off drinking water supplies across the city.
The Sudan International NGO Forum reported that the power grid failure disrupted municipal water pumping networks. It added that recent drone strikes on El Obeid over the past few days have left a total of 23 people dead and 19 others injured.
Residents using social media have reported a sharp rise in the price of drinking water, which is now being distributed via animal-drawn carts due to the complete shutdown of the city’s water network. Aid agencies expressed concern that reliance on unsafe water sources could trigger outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as cholera.
The forum warned that any full-scale assault on El Obeid would bring catastrophic consequences for the city’s 563,000 residents and more than 105,000 internally displaced people.
El Obeid serves as a vital commercial and humanitarian hub for the greater Kordofan region. A ground offensive risks cutting off essential goods and relief supplies to South Kordofan, West Kordofan, and parts of Darfur.
The Sudan International NGO Forum, which coordinates humanitarian and peacebuilding interventions for 70 international non-governmental organizations and observers in Sudan, called on the international community to intervene to prevent further civilian suffering.