Civilians in El Obeid, Sudan, are caught between drones and captivity

They warn that the war is becoming more geographically expansive, more technologically sophisticated and more dangerous for civilians.

“Thousands of people have been arrested by SAF security cells, detained and tortured in unofficial locations and in El Obeid Central Prison, held in appalling conditions.,” said Mona Rishmawi, member expert Independent International Fact-Finding Mission to Sudanduring a press conference.

“These practices must stop immediately.”

New release missions report, Unrelenting War in Sudan: Civilian Destruction and Deep Insecurity in El Obeidafter presenting its September findings on external support for the conflicting parties in the Third Committee of the General Assembly.

Drones and containment

The report found that RSF drone strikes continued to kill and injure civilians in El Obeid, damaging homes, schools, refugee camps and electricity and water systems, and may constitute war crimes.

Only about 30 percent of hospitals in the city remain operational after the attack, an expert told the Mission.

The brutal conflict between former allies turned military rivals first erupted in April 2023.

At the same time, SAF-affiliated security actors have increased surveillance and targeted individuals involved in humanitarian, human rights, and peace activities.

El Obeid Central Prison reportedly holds around 2,000 people with a capacity of around 450 peopleone former detainee described 40 people locked in a cell measuring approximately 2.5 by 2 meters.

This mission is also investigating a buzz attack at the market in Abyei on October 19, reportedly by military government forces, which killed at least 80 people, as well as reported Egyptian airstrikes on gold mining sites near the Sudanese-Egyptian border that killed at least 72 miners.

‘Mass atrocity crimes’

When asked who supplied the weapons, mission chief Mohamed Chande Othman said investigators had found evidence that individuals and entities in Chad, Puntland in Somalia, southeast Libya and the United Arab Emirates were involved in a transnational network that supported the RSF, despite the UN Human Rights Council-the appointed investigator does not “link any neighboring countries.”

He says October saw the highest number of drone attacks on civilians since the conflict beganadding that countries supplying the weapons “can’t say they weren’t aware of it”.

Fellow expert Joy Ngozi Ezeilo reiterated the Mission’s call to expand the UN arms embargo, currently limited to Darfur, to the rest of Sudan. “Sovereignty should not protect crimes of mass atrocity, periodhe said.

Marking one year since the takeover of El Fasher by RSF, Ms Ezeilo said accountability was still absent.

“The passage of time should not reduce attention to what happened in El Fasher. On the contrary, it should remind us of the impact of impunity.”