El Obeid/Dilling, April 27 (Darfur24)
At least a dozen civilians were killed and many others injured on Saturday as drone strikes and artillery shelling hit residential neighborhoods in El Obeid and Dilling, in a widening pattern of attacks on urban areas in Sudan’s Kordofan region.
In El Obeid, more than five people were killed, and several others were injured after drones believed to belong to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted residential neighborhoods over two consecutive days.
A resident, Al-Touma Hassan, told Darfur24 that the attacks began on Friday and intensified on Saturday, striking the Doha and Al-Daraja neighborhoods. The bombardment caused multiple civilian casualties, including two members of the same family and the sons of a school guard at a neighborhood school.
She said the strikes spread fear and panic among residents.
In a statement, the Sudanese Doctors Network reported a higher toll, saying at least seven people were killed and 22 others injured in the attacks on residential areas inside the city.
Additionally, in Dilling, South Kordofan, sources reported that at least four civilians, including a journalist, were killed on Saturday in artillery shelling that struck residential neighborhoods. The attacks were attributed to forces affiliated with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N) and the RSF.
Among those killed was journalist Khaled Bakheet, head of the digital media office at the Young Journalists Network in Dilling. Eight other people were injured, including women and children.
Residents said the shelling has continued for two consecutive weeks, targeting the western and northern parts of the city. On Thursday, a woman was injured when a shell landed near her home.
Since March, Dilling has been under sustained artillery and drone attacks, resulting in growing civilian casualties. The situation has been compounded by the collapse of healthcare services after Dilling Teaching Hospital went out of service following a drone strike last month.