Over 5,500 children displaced by fighting in Sudan’s el-Obeid, charity says

What Happened

More than 5,500 children have been newly displaced by fighting in and around el-Obeid, North Kordofan, according to Save the Children. The city, held by the Sudanese Armed Forces' 5th Infantry Division, has been besieged by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for months, with intensifying RSF drone attacks striking 11 fuel stations, fuel tankers, and water tankers, causing severe fuel and water shortages. Siege conditions and overcrowding from internal displacement have exacerbated a cholera outbreak, with 300 cases confirmed by Sudan's State Ministry of Health. The UN Human Rights Council passed a motion condemning the RSF's escalating attacks on el-Obeid. Save the Children warned that many children have witnessed violence, lost loved ones, or been forced to flee multiple times, and that children under 18 make up 55% of Sudan's displaced population.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

El-Obeid is a strategic city and key humanitarian hub for northwestern Sudan. Its potential fall to the RSF would mirror the capture of el-Fasher, where rights groups documented mass atrocities. The siege and attacks on civilian infrastructure risk severing aid routes and deepening Sudan's displacement crisis, which has already forced 4.4 million to flee to neighboring countries. The UN condemnation signals growing international alarm amid stalled peace efforts.

Watch For

Potential RSF assault or capitulation of el-Obeid given the siege and drone intensification; humanitarian access and the cholera outbreak response; implementation or follow-up on the UN Human Rights Council motion; any renewed peace negotiations after the abandoned US-led process.