Life gradually returns to Al-Obyid city
Al-Obyid - Qurashi Awad.
Signs of joy are still evident in the streets of Al-Obyid city, which has been exhausted by the siege since the beginning of the war, following the clash of the Sayyad mobile with the Camel Corps forces the day before yesterday, Sunday, February 23. The masses spontaneously took to the streets to interact with this event, which they had been expecting at any moment since the army announced its control over the city of Rahad. This was despite the warnings issued by the army not to go out into the streets or approach the buildings of the Fifth Division.
Car horns blared in response to the ululations of women and songs of enthusiasm emanating from the loudspeakers carried by small vehicles (tuk-tuks). The Camel Corps soldiers and the soldiers arriving in the mobile responded to the masses by firing shots into the air.
As soon as these forces arrived, the army shifted from a position of defending the city to attacking the Rapid Support Forces that are deployed around it and are imposing a siege on it from all directions. These ongoing operations, until the writing of these lines, were reflected in the abundance of local goods in the markets. Vegetables such as tomatoes arrived from the (Allah Kareem) area towards the city of Rahad. Mangoes were also available from the eastern mountains region. The price of onions dropped by less than half. A number of trucks carrying food commodities entered from the center of the country.
The owner of a transportation office said that a truck belonging to their office reached Rahad in an hour and a half. He added that this trip used to take a whole day because there were more than 9 Rapid Support Forces bases at this distance.
However, this process is not expected to result in an immediate decrease in the prices of manufactured goods. The price of a bag of sugar is still the same as before the arrival of the mobile (130 thousand pounds), as is flour. However, the move only contributed to stabilizing prices, which traders do not expect to decrease further because the price of a bag of sugar in Kosti is 129 thousand pounds. Another trader indicated that the price of a bag of sugar is expected to stabilize at around 134-135 thousand pounds.
The prices of some goods have increased, such as cooking oils, due to the opening of the road because the city is considered a producer of them, so they went out to other markets. Their industry is also facing the problem of high peanut prices due to the failure of the partial agricultural season.
However, opening the road is expected to play a major role in improving the health situation that has deteriorated due to the blockade. There is a significant shortage of serums and life-saving medicines. As a result, health programs such as the vaccination program have stopped due to the lack of vaccination serums and cold chains due to power outages. There are also medical devices that have gone out of service due to the expiration of their useful life, and others need periodic maintenance, and the road blockage prevented the arrival of necessary spare parts. All of these conditions, according to relevant sources, are expected to change for the better.
On the other hand, the manifestations of war and siege are still dominating the city, especially in the western part, which was within range of the Rapid Support Forces fire and where fierce battles took place. Trenches and military fortifications still block the roads and prevent various means of transportation from reaching it, even the ambulance, whose sound has disappeared from the city streets.
The Rapid Support Forces did not forget to fire Katyusha shells on the city on the second day of the arrival of the mobile, which led to deaths and injuries, the number of which is not yet official information.
