Al Jazeera
centerDEVELOPING‘Digging with a needle’: Generals stall peace as Sudan’s el-Obeid burns

Full BriefGenerated 3h ago
What Happened
El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan and host to the Sudanese Armed Forces' 5th Infantry Division, is under a months-long siege by the Rapid Support Forces, with escalating drone strikes targeting the city. The siege threatens hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians sheltering there, prompting 38 international NGOs, the UN, and Qatar to warn of potential mass atrocities similar to those seen in el-Fasher. The city’s strategic value as the gateway between Khartoum and Darfur makes it a critical flashpoint in the war.
US-led ceasefire efforts, spearheaded by adviser Massad Boulos, have stalled. SAF commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan rejected unconditional truces, vowing to continue operations with the precision of “digging with a needle” until the RSF is dismantled. Analyst Fathi Abu Ammar accused the SAF of using civilians as human shields and obstructing peace, while journalist Yousef Abdel Mannan blamed the RSF for widespread atrocities, including a drone attack on a girls’ school in el-Obeid. Former US diplomat David Shinn stated that both sides seek outright victory, sustained by foreign arms: the UAE backs the RSF, and Egypt and Saudi Arabia support the SAF, transforming the conflict into a proxy war.
Key Actors
- ·Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)(National military under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan)Holding el-Obeid, rejecting unconditional ceasefires, and insisting on complete RSF dismantlement; accused by critics of using civilians as shields.
- ·Rapid Support Forces (RSF)(Paramilitary group led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo)Besieging el-Obeid and conducting drone strikes; blamed by analysts for targeting civilians, including a girls’ school attack.
- ·United States(Ceasefire mediator, represented by adviser Massad Boulos)Pushing for a comprehensive truce, but proposals are dismissed by SAF and criticised as inadequate by some Sudanese analysts.
Why It Matters
El-Obeid’s capture would sever the last major SAF supply route between Khartoum and Darfur, potentially opening the entire region to RSF control and deepening Sudan’s fragmentation. The siege exemplifies how foreign-supplied drones and other weapons prolong the conflict, while the international community’s inability to halt external military support perpetuates a stalemate that weaponizes civilian suffering.
Watch For
Indicators of an imminent RSF ground assault on el-Obeid; further drone strikes on civilian infrastructure; whether US-mediated talks produce any SAF–RSF engagement; signs of changing external arms flows from the UAE, Egypt, or Saudi Arabia; and humanitarian alerts as food and medical supplies dwindle under siege.
Generated 3h ago · Based on full articleAuto-Compiled
This page aggregates and summarizes reporting from Al Jazeera. The Conflict Pulse does not author original reporting. Read the original source for full coverage.
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