El Obeid Grapples with Thirst, Darkness, Siege Conditions

Moatinoon
The city of El Obeid, the capital of Sudan’s North Kordofan State, is facing a worsening humanitarian situation amid ongoing military operations and escalating attacks targeting critical infrastructure and essential services, further deepening the suffering of civilians already living under extremely harsh conditions.

Local sources reported that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted the city’s main electricity substation on Thursday using drones, causing a complete power outage across all neighborhoods. The attack plunged the city into total darkness, severely disrupting health services, water supply systems, telecommunications, and economic activities.

The latest development comes as El Obeid continues to experience sustained military escalation, including repeated drone strikes and artillery shelling, raising growing concerns about the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in a city that has endured months of siege-like conditions and mounting pressure on basic services.

The crisis has been compounded by a severe shortage of safe drinking water. Many residents rely on limited water sources while demand continues to rise and the capacity to operate pumping stations declines due to the electricity outage. Residents fear that the prolonged power cut could further worsen the water crisis and increase the risk of disease outbreaks linked to water scarcity and poor sanitation services.

Observers say that attacks on vital civilian infrastructure are intensifying the humanitarian burden on the population, leaving thousands of families struggling daily to access water, food, and healthcare. They warn that continued deterioration could push the city into a broader humanitarian emergency unless essential services are restored and civilian facilities are protected from the effects of the conflict.

As the situation unfolds, residents of El Obeid are hoping for urgent solutions to restore electricity and water supplies and ease their growing hardships. However, conditions remain likely to worsen as military confrontations continue around the city and across North Kordofan State.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has warned of the risk of a new wave of large-scale violence in El Obeid, citing reports of significant RSF troop mobilization alongside intensified drone attacks and artillery bombardments.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for urgent action to prevent a repeat of the atrocities witnessed in El Fasher, North Darfur, warning that any imminent assault could place hundreds of thousands of civilians at grave risk and potentially lead to new international crimes.

According to UN News, Guterres urged all parties with influence over the warring sides to use their leverage to prevent further bloodshed.

In a related development, 21 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and Canada, issued a joint statement expressing concern that the RSF could escalate its offensive against El Obeid at any moment. The statement warned of the risk of atrocities in the event of further escalation and called on the RSF to immediately halt any attack on the city.