North Kordofan: SAF and Joint Forces advance as UAV strikes threaten El Obeid

Key findings

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and SAF-aligned Joint Forces gained ground in North Kordofan in September and early October. Meanwhile, strikes by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, continued to hit civilian populations and infrastructure in the city of El Obeid, which shelters a rapidly growing displaced population.  

• SAF and aligned forces made advancements in North Kordofan in September and early October. From 6 September to 2 October 2026, the SAF and Joint Forces reportedly gained control of Hamrat Al-Wiz, Al Kukeiti, Sawdiri, and Al-Mazroub. Al-Mazroub was one of the last major RSF-held areas in North Kordofan.  

• UAV strikes on El Obeid continued in September, killing civilians and destroying educational infrastructure. On 9 September, a strike that CIR assessed with high confidence was perpetrated by the RSF on the College of Developmental and Technological Sciences reportedly killed a security guard and severely damaged the library and labs. A second strike on 28 September on Sheikan College and the Sports City reportedly killed a child and injured 12 others.  

• The displaced population in El Obeid is growing. The Unified IDP camp gained over 1,200 tents between 4 August and 4 October. Each new arrival adds to the number of vulnerable civilians sheltering in the city as UAV attacks continue. 
• Sexual violence is being reported at scale. Displaced women in El Obeid have reported RSF fighters perpetrating sexual violence against them. The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa Network (SIHA) reported documenting more than 71 cases of sexual violence across the wider Kordofan region in a single week at times. 

SAF and Joint Forces advance across North Kordofan

From 6 September to 2 October 2026, the SAF and Joint Forces reportedly made a series of territorial advances in North Kordofan, culminating in the capture of the settlements of Sawdiri on 25 September and Al-Mazroub on 2 October. CIR corroborated the most significant of these reported advances, in Sawdiri, through geolocated footage. Both locations sit on routes linking North Kordofan with Darfur, and, at the time of its reported capture, Al-Mazroub was one of the last major areas in the state still held by the RSF.  

The SAF and Joint Forces took Sawdiri on 25 September. CIR geolocated footage posted on 25 September on X to a gas station in Sawdiri (figure 1). In the footage, fighters in SAF uniforms and referring to the Joint Forces are seen celebrating. Sawdiri lies 230 kilometres (km) northwest of El Obeid, on routes to Darfur and the Sahara, and close to the export route between El Obeid and Omdurman.  

The capture of Sawdiri followed a month of reported armed clashes in the area that resulted in a series of settlements falling under SAF and Joint Forces control. On 6 September, the SAF and Joint Forces reportedly seized control of Hamrat Al-Wiz, according to the Paris-based news outlet Sudan Tribune. According to the outlet, control of Hamrat al-Wiz gives the SAF greater depth in defending the garrison towns of Jabrat al-Sheikh and Bara. It also gives SAF access the main North Kordofan–Khartoum highway, a key route for trade and civilian movement. 

Additionally, CIR verified footage posted to Telegram on 18 September showing individuals wearing Joint Forces insignia on their shoulders in the settlement of Al Kukeiti, North Kordofan (figure 2). Al Kukeiti is 200km from Umm Badr, which at the time of writing was one of the last RSF strongholds in the area. CIR was unable to confirm who controlled Al Kukeiti at the time of writing, however the footage indicates that SAF-aligned forces were advancing further into North Kordofan towards Umm Badr.  

On 2 October, the SAF reportedly also captured the settlement of Al-Mazroub, according to Sudan Tribune. The capture is significant because Al-Mazroub, outside Umm Badr, was the only other major area held by RSF at the time. The town strategically sits along routes connecting North Kordofan with the desert corridors leading to Darfur. 

Developments in El Obeid

CIR investigated two reported UAV strikes in El Obeid, on 9 September and 7 October, that resulted in the destruction of educational infrastructure and loss of civilian lives. CIR assessed with high confidence that the RSF was responsible for the first strike, which reportedly killed a security guard. The second strike reportedly killed a child and injured 12 others. Over the same period, the Unified IDP camp in the city expanded, meaning more vulnerable civilians are exposed to the sustained strikes on the city.  

UAV strike on College of Developmental and Technological Sciences, 9 September

CIR assessed with very high confidence that a UAV strike hit the College of Developmental and Technological Sciences in central El Obeid on 9 September. CIR attributed the strike to the RSF with high confidence. 

Sudan News, an independent Sudanese news X account, reported that a UAV strike on 9 September hit educational infrastructure in El Obeid. The account posted two images and a video reportedly showing the aftermath of the strike. The footage shows significant damage to buildings in a courtyard.  

CIR geolocated the images and video to the College of Developmental and Technological Sciences in central El Obeid, confirming the location. Planet satellite imagery from 8 and 9 September shows damage at the site, further corroborating the reported date of the strike (figure 3). 

An article published on 10 September by Radio Tamazuj, a Netherlands-based independent news service, reported that one security guard was killed and that the library, labs and other facilities were severely damaged.  

CIR assessed the RSF to be responsible for the strike with high confidence. Radio Tamazuj reported that four UAVs were alleged to have attacked the campus and were believed to be operated by the RSF. At 1:45 in the video posted by Sudan News, remnants of a UAV are held up to the camera. CIR matched the remnants to a one-way attack UAV that the Armament Research Services reported to be used by the RSF. CIR has also linked this type of UAV to the RSF in previous investigations. 

UAV strike on Sheikan College, 28 September

CIR assessed with moderate confidence that a UAV strike hit Sheikan College in El Obeid on 28 September. CIR attributed the strike to the RSF with low confidence. 

On 28 September, TRT Afrika, the Africa-focused service of Türkiye’s state broadcaster, published an article reporting that Sheikan College in El Obeid had been hit in a UAV strike. The article reports that the SAF attributed the strike to the RSF and that no casualties or damage had been reported.  

CIR corroborated that a strike took place at this location and date using satellite imagery analysis. Analysis of Vantor imagery from 27 September to 4 October shows significant damage to a building in the central courtyard of the Sports City, next to the Sheikan College building. This indicates that damage did occur, despite the article not reporting any, and the imagery window is consistent with the reported date of 28 September. 

CIR’s confidence on the strike attribution is low. The SAF’s attribution to the RSF, as reported by TRT Afrika, is an unverified claim, and CIR did not identify munition remnants, footage, or other evidence to independently indicate the perpetrator. 

Expansion of IDP tents at Unified camp in El Obeid from August to October

The Unified IDP camp in northeast El Obeid grew by at least 1,200 tents between 4 August and 4 October 2026. Comparison of Planet satellite imagery from 4 August, 4 September and 3 October shows a significant increase in tents in the southern section of the camp (figure 5). CIR analysis of high resolution Vantor imagery over the same period identified at least 1,200 new tent structures in the camp.  

On 1 October, Al Jazeera reported that more than 500,000 people were sheltering in El Obeid, of whom 83,000 had been displaced to the city from other areas as of July 2026.  

The number of displaced people in El Obeid is likely to keep rising as continued UAV strikes and violence in the surrounding areas push more civilians to seek shelter there. Each new arrival adds to the number of civilians sheltering in a city under sustained UAV attack.

Conflict-related sexual violence is being reported at scale across Kordofan

UN Women reported on 24 July that UAV strikes on water sources during the day were forcing women and girls in El Obeid to fetch water at night. During these journeys, many were facing harassment, rape, and other forms sexual violence.  

This is consistent with a 6 August report from Africanews, a pan-African news channel, that displaced women living in a camp in El Obeid testified to RSF fighters raping them before they fled. One of them, a 37-year-old woman, said two RSF fighters entered her house, raped her, and then whipped her.  

On 29 September, Radio Dabanga, an independent outlet covering Sudan, published an interview with the Director of SIHA, who said that her organisation had at times recorded more than 71 cases of sexual violence in a single week across Sudan’s wider Kordofan region.