El-Obeid, January 31 (Darfur24)
Several people were killed and injured on Friday morning after suicide drones, believed to belong to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), carried out airstrikes on the city of El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, according to multiple local sources.
Three identical sources from El Obeid told Darfur24 that the drone attacks targeted different parts of the city, causing casualties among civilians and military personnel.
A senior police source said a suicide drone struck the central area of El Obeid, resulting in the deaths of several civilians and soldiers and causing serious injuries. He added that the attack also targeted the vicinity of the Social Security Hospital and several eastern neighborhoods of the city.
Meanwhile, a military source in the Kordofan operations room told Darfur24 that the Sudanese army intercepted more than 10 suicide drones launched early Friday toward the eastern parts of the city. He said anti-aircraft defenses managed to shoot down more than five drones, while others hit residential neighborhoods.
Mohammed Suleiman, an eyewitness, told Darfur24 that the drone attacks began at around 7:30 a.m., spreading fear and panic among residents, as the sound of anti-aircraft fire echoed across the city.
He noted that several shops in the city’s main market closed out of fear of further attacks, while a state of relative calm later prevailed on streets and roads.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by intense fighting between the Sudanese army and its allies on one side and the Rapid Support Forces on the other, with drones increasingly used in attacks on both civilian and military targets across areas controlled by both parties.