AfricaSudanNorth Kordofan
El Obeid
North Kordofan, Sudan · Africa
About El Obeid
El Obeid sits on the route: 1 hours from Bārah.
El Obeid is in North Kordofan, Sudan, with about 390,000 people. The nearest town is Bārah, about 60 km away.
El Obeid (Arabic: الأُبَيِّض, romanized: al-ʔubayyiḍ, lit. 'the white' ), also romanized as Al-Ubayyid, is the capital of the state of North Kordofan, in Sudan. It is located within the Sheikan locality and under the former administrative structure within Sheikan District. El Obeid is an important commercial andRead more
transport centre linking western Sudan with the eastern parts of the country. The city is known for its trade in gum arabic, millet, oilseeds and livestock, and has a railway terminus, major roads and El Obeid Airport.
El Obeid prospered as a caravan stop under the Musaba’at Kingdom before the Egyptians founded the modern city in 1821. It was destroyed and abandoned during the Mahdist period, then rebuilt after Anglo-Egyptian forces took control in 1899. Its growth accelerated following the construction of a railway to Khartoum and Port Sudan between 1909 and 1912.
Since the outbreak of the Sudanese civil war in April 2023, El Obeid has been repeatedly besieged and attacked by the Rapid Support Forces. The conflict has caused shortages of essential goods, civilian casualties and large-scale displacement. As of July 2026, an estimated 563,000 residents and 105,000 internally displaced persons were living in the city.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is El Obeid?
El Obeid is in North Kordofan, Sudan, about 60 km from Bārah.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 393,311
- Continent
- Africa
- Country
- Sudan
- Region
- North Kordofan
- Timezone
- Africa/Khartoum
- Coordinates
- 13.1842, 30.2167
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When to drive here
Year-round
Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.
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