KHARTOUM — Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a series of drone attacks on several army-held cities on Wednesday, including the capital Khartoum, Atbara and El Obeid, witnesses and military sources said, as fighting intensified across the country.
In El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, eight drone strikes were reported, triggering army air defences. Two people were killed and several others wounded, according to medical sources cited by Reuters. The city has been a major focus of fighting as the RSF seeks to expand its influence across the strategically important Kordofan region.
Witnesses also reported drone activity in Khartoum and Atbara, north of the capital. In Bahri, an area of greater Khartoum, a drone crashed into the courtyard of a mosque, residents said. Sudan Tribune reported that several drones targeting Omdurman and Khartoum North were intercepted, while drones aimed at Atbara fell in agricultural areas without causing casualties.
The RSF did not claim responsibility for the attacks, and the Sudanese army did not immediately comment. Reuters said it was unable to independently verify who launched the drones or determine their launch sites.
The attacks came as the RSF renewed its ground and drone assault on El Obeid following recent military setbacks. The city has endured prolonged fighting and shortages of power, fuel, food and water, according to witnesses and humanitarian reporting.
The Sudanese army has made gains in parts of Kordofan and other regions in recent months, while the RSF retains control over much of Darfur in western Sudan. The two sides have been at war since April 2023 after a dispute over plans to integrate the paramilitary force into the regular army.
The renewed drone attacks mark a widening of the conflict beyond frontline areas. Drone strikes have increasingly been used by both sides against military and infrastructure targets, raising risks to civilians in urban areas.
The latest attacks followed a period of relative calm in some areas and came as both forces reinforced positions in Kordofan. No new ceasefire or other agreement was announced following Wednesday’s strikes.
