RSF Village Raids Deepen Displacement Crisis Around El Obeid

El Obeid, August 20, 2026 - Rapid Support Forces attacks on villages southwest of El Obeid killed six civilians and pushed hundreds more displaced people into the North Kordofan capital, worsening pressure on an already overstretched humanitarian hub.

RSF fighters raided Um Dareisa and Al-Shaqla, about 40 kilometres southwest of El Obeid, on August 19. Several residents were wounded and others remained missing after the attacks.

More than 1,000 people from 215 families arrived in El Obeid on foot by midday August 20, including women, children and elderly people in critical condition after walking long distances. A state government official accused RSF fighters of killings, physical assaults, sexual violence and forced displacement linked to looting.

The attacks followed an assault the previous week on Um Arda, about 20 kilometres southwest of El Obeid, that killed 18 people, wounded 17 and displaced more than 300 families. The latest arrivals have intensified pressure on eight overcrowded camps in El Obeid that provide shelter and emergency food to more than 100,000 displaced people.

El Obeid now hosts an estimated 1.3 million displaced people across camps and residential neighbourhoods, making security around the city a critical indicator for humanitarian access, local governance capacity and commercial continuity in central Sudan.