Drone strikes attributed to paramilitary forces disrupted the Sudanese city of El-Obeid on Sunday, shortly after the Sudanese army regained control of a key highway linking the city to the capital, Khartoum. The highway had been a strategic focus in the ongoing conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group that has been attempting to encircle El-Obeid for months.

Following a multi-day advance in North Kordofan state, army sources confirmed the RSF had been pushed westward off the approximately 400-kilometre highway. This route is vital as it connects Khartoum to El-Obeid, the largest city in the Kordofan region, and serves as a critical supply corridor. The army’s retaking of the highway opens a secondary supply line to El-Obeid, supplementing the eastern road along the White Nile, which has been frequently targeted by RSF drone strikes.

Local officials in El-Obeid blamed the early morning drone attacks on the RSF. The strikes damaged several buildings, including the local lawyers’ association and a branch of the Agricultural Bank of Sudan, but no casualties were reported. Since the start of the year, United Nations figures indicate that drone strikes by both sides have killed more than 1,000 people in Kordofan alone.

The conflict between Sudan’s army and the RSF, once allies, has escalated since April 2023, leading to over 200,000 deaths according to aid worker estimates. The war has precipitated one of the world’s largest crises of displacement and hunger, with more than 33 million Sudanese requiring humanitarian assistance.

El-Obeid’s strategic location at the crossroads of north-south and east-west routes has made it a focal point for control. The north-south highway runs from Khartoum through Kordofan to the southern border, while the east-west axis links RSF strongholds in the Darfur region with army-controlled areas in central and eastern Sudan. A retired army officer noted that the RSF now faces pressure to defend West Kordofan, seen as the frontline protecting Darfur from army advances.

Civilians in El-Obeid largely view the army more favorably compared to the RSF, whose actions have reportedly included war crimes and indiscriminate attacks. The RSF’s previous takeover of the Darfur city of El-Fasher in October last year prompted United Nations concerns of potential genocide, and the same patterns have raised alarms for El-Obeid as the RSF amasses forces nearby.

Sabreen Mohammed, a resident of El-Obeid, expressed relief at the reopening of the highway, seeing it as a lifeline that will enable essential goods to enter the city. She described the RSF’s drone strikes as “death throes” in response to the army’s progress. Since the war began, El-Obeid has endured significant hardships, including a paramilitary siege lasting from April 2023 until February 2024, leaving large parts of the city with limited access to food and basic services.

The ongoing battle for El-Obeid underscores the broader humanitarian and security crises facing Sudan as the conflict continues to fracture the country and deepen the suffering of its population.