At least 15 people were killed and dozens injured after Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched overnight drone strikes in the central city of el-Obeid, health officials said on Thursday, amid an escalation in the use of unmanned aircraft in the country’s protracted conflict.

The attacks, which began late Wednesday, targeted several locations across el-Obeid, including areas near an army position, according to officials at el-Obeid Hospital. More than 10 others were injured, some of them critically.

Mohamed Elsheikh, spokesperson for the Sudan Doctors Network, said RSF drones also struck a funeral gathering at a cemetery, killing four people, and hit a gas station. It was not immediately clear whether the victims were civilians, combatants or both.

An aid worker with Mercy Corps said drone attacks have intensified across el-Obeid in recent days, targeting public gatherings and disrupting daily life. Schools have suspended classes and markets are operating only partially due to security concerns, the aid worker said.

Emergency Lawyers, a local monitoring group, warned that the death toll could rise as drones continued flying over the city. The group said residential homes near the military headquarters of the 5th Infantry Division were hit, along with a truck carrying food supplies into the city. The truck driver was killed in the attack.

The group described the strikes as part of a broader pattern of attacks on civilian neighbourhoods, gatherings and infrastructure, including during rescue efforts and funeral ceremonies, raising concerns about their indiscriminate nature.

Sudan’s conflict erupted in April 2023 following a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF. The war has since killed at least 59,000 people, displaced around 13 million and pushed large parts of the country into famine, with more than 30 million people requiring humanitarian assistance.

Now in its fourth year, the conflict has left the military in control of much of northern, eastern and central Sudan, while the RSF and allied groups dominate most of Darfur and parts of Kordofan, regions rich in oil and gold resources.

Analysts and humanitarian workers say drone warfare has emerged as one of the deadliest threats to civilians in Sudan, with both sides reportedly receiving military support from regional and international actors. A recent surge in drone attacks in Kordofan has also complicated humanitarian relief efforts in the area.