The battle began on April 15, and saw the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) capture the El Obeid airport from the Sudanese Army contingent in the city.

JEM and SPLM launched the attacks in opposition to dictator Omar al-Bashir, who promptly declared war against the militias.

Throughout the war in Darfur, the city of El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, has seen a smaller amount of violence compared to its southern and western counterparts.

[8] El Obeid was also the center of several peace talks between the Bashir regime and SPLM-N rebels (after their split between Malik Agar and Abdelaziz al-Hilu in 2017).

[14][15] The Sudanese Doctors' Union and local morgues stated that same day that thirteen people were killed in the city, and twenty more were injured.

[17] RSF soldiers instructed civilians on April 17 to evacuate the neighborhoods surrounding the now-destroyed airport due to the possibility of further clashes.

[30] In early May, residents of El Obeid stated Sudanese army officials warned of the possibility of clashes, and ordered civilians not to attend the main market.

[31] On May 4, RSF forces launched a second attack on the city from the east and west, with fighting occurring at the 5th Infantry Division headquarters and al-Abyad neighborhood.

[6] Analysts suggested that the RSF attempted intense raids on El Obeid to cut off the growing battles in Darfur and Khartoum.

[38] By late May, the RSF began making deals with tribal leaders surrounding El Obeid to protect the city from Sudanese Army reinforcements.

[43] Humanitarian supplies were unable to reach the city, due to raids by RSF forces on the roads between El Obeid and White Nile state.

[44] Residents of El Obeid stated on June 14 that the Sudanese Army launched airstrikes against RSF positions in the city.

[46][47] Around this time, RSF forces also raided the El Obeid oil refinery, which had been deserted by Sudanese Army troops at the start of the war.

[51] By late June, the RSF had established roadblocks on all roads leading out of El Obeid, and controlled most of the outer edges of the city.

[52] Ahmed Ali, the leader of the El Obeid Resistance Committee, claimed that despite the SAF's presence at the international airport and the army headquarters in the city, they were not aiding civilians suffering from the growing lack of food, water, and other necessities.

[57] The SAF launched airstrikes on RSF bases in southern and western El Obeid on July 20, and that many civilian homes were destroyed in the process.

[58][59] Residents stated that at least four people was killed and forty-five injured in the clashes, and the el-Safaa and el-Wehda neighborhoods faced the brunt of the damage.

[65] On August 14, video emerged of SAF soldiers of the 5th division celebrating the 69th anniversary of the founding of the Sudanese Armed Forces, with the commander Major General Faisal Alhassan in different parts of the city.

[66] By September 1, it was reported that the RSF were no longer within El Obeid city limits, but clashes on the outskirts in late August killed 14 civilians and injured seventeen more.