Drone Strikes Are Destroying the Infrastructure of Survival in the Heart of SudanComponents from drones that struck the night before on Sunday, March 29, 2026 in El-Obeid, Sudan. Faiz Abubakr / Los…

Drone Strikes Are Destroying the Infrastructure of Survival in the Heart of Sudan (substackcdn.com)Components from drones that struck the night before on Sunday, March 29, 2026 in El-Obeid, Sudan. Faiz Abubakr / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images.Story by Mohamed Wad Al-SakAhmed Mahmoud’s sister, Nafisah, died last month in the city of El-Obeid, another victim of a more than three-year long war raging across Sudan already considered one of the deadliest conflicts for civilians this century.But like a growing number of Sudanese victims of the war, Mahmoud’s sister’s death was not the direct result of an airstrike, or gunfire. Instead, she fell victim to the near-total collapse of basic infrastructure in the country as a result of calculated attacks aimed at depriving Sudanese civilians the necessities of life.The war in Sudan has now killed somewhere between 150,000 to 400,000 people according (csis.org › sudan war 10 charts) to outside analysts, with people dying from a combination of direct violence, hunger, and lack of access to healthcare.In June, the 21-year-old Nafisah suddenly fell faint and needed urgent hospital care; she had been managing the impact of an under-treated blood clot in her left leg since 2024. With El-Obeid under constant drone attack and bombardment conducted by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), receiving prompt medical care for basic conditions was nearly impossible. “We called the ambulance and waited a long time for any tuk-tuk or private car. Then we were told that movement was difficult because of the conditions and the fuel shortage,” Mahmoud said. Blood clots can be life-threatening without immediate medical treatment. “After that we started looking for any car or way to move her. But time kept passing, and her condition kept getting worse.”When they finally did reach the hospital, the facility was facing resource and personnel strains due to the war and overwhelmed with patients. “When we arrived we found the doctors trying to help everyone, but the pressure was immense and resources were limited. It was clear they were working under extremely difficult conditions,” he said.His sister died several hours after arriving at the hospital. Her death still haunts her family members, who believe that the delay in arriving at the facility and receiving treatment contributed to her death.“After she died, I kept thinking: if the ambulance had arrived faster, or if the services hadn’t broken down, maybe my sister would still be with us,” Mahmoud said. “People think war only kills those struck by shells. But the truth is it also kills when it prevents a patient from reaching treatment. My sister was one of them.”Drop Site is supported by readers. Subscribe or make a gift (givebutter.com › support dropsite) today.War on InfrastructureThe crisis that has overtaken hospitals and other infrastructure in El-Obeid is the product of a calculated military campaign waged by the RSF that has directly targeted civilian infrastructure and imposed a de facto siege.In recent months, the RSF, which receives arms and other support from the United Arab Emirates, has begun using bombardment by foreign-supplied drones to destroy critical infrastructure, attack supply lines, and force the capitulation of the city’s population. El-Obeid itself remains under the control of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Its 5th Infantry Division is headquartered in the city, which serves as the army’s main operational base in North Kordofan, after being pushed out of the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, and falling back toward its western strongholds in Darfur last year, the group no longer has the manpower or heavy equipment to mount a direct ground assault and seize the city outright.Lacking the ability to launch a dir