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In Sudan’s El Obeid, women risk drone attacks by day and rape by night to access water

As war intensifies in the city of El Obeid in North Kordofan state, filling up a jerrycan of water comes at a high risk for women and girls: by day, drones strike water points and by night, women who venture out to fill a bucket risk rape. UN Women warns of a dual terror that has turned access to water into a deadly gamble.

“In El Obeid, Sudan, drone attacks during the day and sexual violence at night have left no safe window for women and girls to collect water – mirroring the atrocities documented in El Fasher last year,” said Anna Mutavati, UN Women Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.

Speaking to journalists in Geneva from Nairobi, Ms. Mutavati described the emerging pattern of violence against women and girls. Due to drone strikes targeting water sources and distribution points during daylight hours, women are forced to wait until after nightfall to collect water. “Under the perception that darkness offers protection from aerial attacks, these women and girls have been harassed, raped, and subjected to other forms of sexual violence – all while trying to access water,” explained Ms. Mutavati.

As foreign-made drones pour into Sudan and expand the battlefield, they have brought the war deeper into civilian life, placing critical infrastructure increasingly within range. UN human rights’ chief warned in May the conflict was “on the cusp of entering yet another new, even deadlier phase.” During the first four months of 2026 alone, drone strikes killed at least 880 civilians and accounted for more than 80% of civilian deaths recorded by the human rights office.

El-Obeid is a strategic trade and aid hub as it sits on major routes linking Khartoum with Darfur, the wider Kordofan region and the south of the country. Its location has turned it into a key battlefield between the two warring parties fighting for power since April 2023.

The capital of North Kordofan is home to more than half a million people, including 83,000 internally displaced, most of them women and children who rely on access to clean water to survive.

“With the rainy season set to peak next month, safe water is critical to reducing the risk of deadly waterborne diseases. Cholera is already spreading in Sudan, with 1,330 cases reported by WHO in early July,” warned Anna Mutavati.

Access to food, healthcare, and other essential services is also severely limited, particularly in displacement sites.

The combination of malnutrition – which weakens the immune system and is increasingly affecting women and girls – and the lack of access to healthcare is exposing them to a greater risk of severe illness and death.

Sexual violence has been used as a weapon of war throughout Sudan’s three-year conflict. Frontline testimonies document rape, including assaults committed in front of family members, often accompanied by brutal physical abuse.

According to UN Women, “the number of women and girls requiring gender-based violence services in Sudan has quadrupled since the conflict began, reaching an estimated 12.7 million in 2026.”

Women-led organizations are a lifeline in Sudan’s humanitarian response, as they reach communities others cannot to provide critical protection and support. But aid cuts have forced two-thirds of these organizations to either close safe spaces and gender-based violence services or drastically scale them back.

Moreover, “half of those organizations surveyed report that, without urgent financial support, they expect to suspend their operations or close entirely within the next year. UN Women therefore reiterates its call for an immediate ceasefire, paving the way for inclusive peace talks and an end to the war,” insisted Ms. Mutavati.

Earlier this month, the UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan warned that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) appeared to be replicating tactics used in El Fasher by encircling El Obeid and attacking critical infrastructure, raising fears that the city could face mass atrocities.

Ends

El Obeid drone attacks – UN Women

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