El Obeid -- A City Waiting On Edge Of War

KHARTOUM, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Before the streets of El Obeid stirred with their usual morning rhythm, the plastic containers had already claimed their places -- lined up in neat, anxious rows at a water distribution point.

It was a quiet ritual of dread, repeated daily by residents who now measure time not by the sun, but by the growing silence of supply routes and the distant hum of drones.

Beyond the outskirts of El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan state, military movements by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been reported about 60 km away, bringing the conflict to the city's doorstep.

"Everyone is watching what's happening around El Obeid," said Mohamed Ahmed Mahdi, one of those waiting for water. "There's a fear that the city could experience the same scenes that other towns have witnessed during this war."

For months, the city has lived under an invisible siege. Conflict has choked its key supply lines, strangling both commercial traffic and humanitarian aid.

Home to more than 563,000 civilians and sheltering over 105,000 displaced people, El Obeid now teeters on the edge of catastrophe.

Mohamed Refaat, head of the International Organization for Migration mission in Sudan, recently warned that famine could grip the city within weeks unless safe corridors for food assistance are opened.

Residents speak of scarcity in staggering terms. Prices of essential goods have risen by as much as 300 percent in just two months. Many families have begun stockpiling food, fuel, water, and medicine; others have withdrawn savings, fearing the collapse of the banking system.

"Our greatest fear is not only the sound of weapons," said Khadija Ahmed, a mother of five who has already sent two of her children to stay with relatives outside the city. "It is the chaos that could accompany any attack."

Around the city, military pressure has continued to mount. Local sources report RSF troop concentrations on several fronts, while the Sudanese Armed Forces have reinforced defensive positions.

Drone attacks have intensified, and on June 18 the United Nations and 29 countries called on the RSF to refrain from any military operation against the city.

At a displacement center inside El Obeid, Amina Ismail sat with her three children in a classroom-turned-shelter. "We fled the fighting months ago in search of safety," she said. "Now we hear every day about the possibility of new battles. We do not know where we will go if the war reaches the city."

In villages west of El Obeid, residents have reported armed vehicles and trucks transporting fighters and equipment. The sounds of drones and explosions have become part of daily life.

Ahmed Yousif, a schoolteacher, watches his students with sorrow. "It is heartbreaking. Children who should focus on studying and playing are instead following news of the war."

Hospitals, schools, markets, and other civilian infrastructure in North Kordofan have suffered damage from escalating drone attacks in recent months. Dozens of civilian deaths have been reported over the past weeks.

A key commercial and humanitarian hub for the Kordofan region, El Obeid plays a vital role in aid operations. Humanitarian agencies warn that any escalation could further undermine relief efforts across a region already reeling from repeated waves of displacement.

As the rainy season begins, the threat of disease looms alongside hunger, raising fresh concerns for communities already battered by war.

Across Sudan, an estimated 19.5 million people faced acute food insecurity between February and May 2026.

By evening, the water containers had disappeared from the distribution point, collected and carried home. The waiting, however, was far from over. "Every day is an uncertain wait," said Mahdi, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon. "We never know whether tomorrow will bring relief, or ruin." 

--NNN-Xinhua