Sudan’s army said on Thursday that a drone strike by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed at least five civilians in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, and accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of supplying the drones.

The RSF has recently intensified its aerial attacks on El Obeid, according to the army. It said recent shelling had struck the city’s central prison, the Military Medical Corps Hospital, the private Al-Daman Hospital, the Zenobia Hotel, and a judicial authority building.

The army spokesperson said in a statement that “one of the strategic drones, with which the UAE supplies the Dagalo militia, targeted sites within the city of El Obeid.” The statement referred to the RSF as the “Dagalo militia”.

The spokesperson stated that the drones hit the Grand Market, the industrial area, and other civilian facilities, leading to the death of five civilians and injuring others.

The army’s statement condemned what it called “criminal behaviour” and “continuous violations” by the RSF. It accused the RSF, which it termed “the notorious militia”, “of attacks against citizens and civilian objects, with direct funding from the United Arab Emirates… without accountability.”

Separately, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo had threatened on June 3 to launch a wide-scale attack on El Obeid, according to reports. RSF forces are reportedly positioned around the city from three directions, including near Bara, Al Khuwai, Hamrat El Sheikh, and Al Hamadi, after mobilizing fighters from Darfur and Kordofan who had recaptured strategic sites in West and South Kordofan.

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