Besieged Sudanese city faces relentless drone strikes and risk of mass atrocities, U.N. warns

Hundreds of thousands of civilians in el-Obeid are being battered by relentless drone strikes and face critical water shortages and a worsening cholera outbreak, while women and girls are reporting high rates of sexual violence.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3800x2533+0+0/resize/3800x2533!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F18%2Fb1%2F40009917428fae785339ff8b83d2%2Fgettyimages-2283333906-1.jpg' alt='Women and children queue to receive free food being distributed in al-Mohayra camp for displaced people, near the city of el-Obeid in the southern Kordofan region, on June 29, 2026.'/><p>Hundreds of thousands of civilians in el-Obeid are being battered by relentless drone strikes and face critical water shortages and a worsening cholera outbreak, while women and girls are reporting high rates of sexual violence.</p><p>(Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5921212' />