RSF Drone Strike on University of Kordofan in El Obeid Kills Ten

The death toll from a reported drone strike by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the University of Kordofan in the city of El Obeid has risen to 10, according to recent updates from the conflict zone. The attack on the higher education facility underscores the escalating toll that the ongoing Sudanese civil war is taking on civilian infrastructure and academic institutions. El Obeid, situated in North Kordofan state, has frequently found itself contested territory between warring factions, leaving its civilian population vulnerable to aerial bombardments and artillery exchanges.

The strike is the latest violent chapter in a devastating conflict that erupted in April 2023, pitting the RSF against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The two military bodies had previously shared power following a 2021 coup that derailed Sudan’s fragile democratic transition. The RSF, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, evolved from the Janjaweed militias notorious for their role in the Darfur conflict. In a bid to legitimize its territorial gains, the paramilitary group announced the formation of a parallel administration, the Government of Peace and Unity, in alliance with a faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North.

Throughout the nearly three-year conflict, international monitors and human rights organizations have documented widespread atrocities committed by RSF personnel. The paramilitary force has faced extensive accusations of war crimes, including targeted violence against non-Arab communities in Darfur, as well as punitive campaigns against northern Sudanese Arab populations in Khartoum and Gezira states over their perceived sympathies with the SAF. As frontlines have shifted, civilian centers, hospitals, and universities have increasingly borne the brunt of indiscriminate attacks by both sides.

The longevity and intensity of the civil war have been sustained by complex external alliances and supply lines. The RSF has drawn substantial material and logistical support from neighboring countries, utilizing cross-border networks through Chad to secure fighters and weaponry. Meanwhile, international investigators have repeatedly accused external patrons, notably the United Arab Emirates, of covertly channeling financial and military assistance to the paramilitary group—allegations that regional capitals have consistently denied.

For the wider international community, the protracted collapse of Sudan represents a profound humanitarian disaster and a driver of regional instability across the Horn of Africa and the Sahel. While the immediate geopolitical and economic links to East Asia remain limited, the conflict contributes to global supply chain vulnerabilities, disrupts maritime security in the Red Sea corridor—a vital artery for international trade connecting Asia to Europe—and displaces millions, threatening long-term stability across a strategically crucial crossroads.