Attack on Sudanese Funeral in Kordofan Kills 40, UN Reports

An attack on a funeral in El-Obeid, a key city in Sudan’s central Kordofan region, has claimed the lives of 40 people, the United Nations reported on Wednesday, as paramilitary forces prepare for a wider offensive.

The UN’s humanitarian office did not provide details on the timing of the attack or identify the perpetrators but warned that the situation in Kordofan continues to deteriorate.

The ongoing war in Sudan, which has already killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, has recently spread into new regions, raising fears of an even greater humanitarian crisis.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), engaged in conflict with the army since 2023, are preparing to attack Kordofan following their capture of El-Fasher, the last army-held city in Darfur.

“Local sources report that at least 40 civilians were killed and dozens injured yesterday in an attack on a funeral gathering in El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State,” stated the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

“Once again, OCHA calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for all parties to protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law.”

Reports from El-Fasher, now under RSF control, describe widespread abuse, including gang rapes. Amira, a mother of four, recounted horrific experiences at a shelter in Tawila, 70 kilometres (43 miles) west of El-Fasher.

“The rapes were gang rapes. Mass rape in public, rape in front of everyone, and no one could stop it,” she said.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported that more than 300 survivors of sexual violence sought care after a previous RSF assault on Zamzam camp, which displaced over 380,000 people last spring.

Amira described how fighters targeted girls from families unable to pay extortion demands. “If you had daughters of a young age, they would take them immediately,” she said.

Both the RSF and Sudanese army have been accused of committing atrocities.

• US truce proposal

The fall of El-Fasher gave the RSF control over all five state capitals in Darfur, fuelling fears that Sudan could be effectively divided along east-west lines. The RSF now controls Darfur and parts of the south, while the army holds northern, eastern, and central regions along the Nile and Red Sea.

The UAE is accused by the UN of supplying arms to the RSF, allegations it denies, while Sudan’s army receives support from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iran.

Sudan’s army-backed defence minister, Hassan Kabroun, said on Tuesday that military operations against the RSF would continue, despite a US proposal for a ceasefire.

“We thank the Trump administration for its efforts and proposals to achieve peace,” he said in a televised address. “Our preparations for war are a legitimate national right.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the US is “actively engaged” in seeking a peace deal alongside Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, but acknowledged the conflict is “very complicated on the ground right now.”

• ‘Nightmare of violence’

Army-aligned authorities had previously rejected a truce proposed by the so-called Quad—Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the US—which would have excluded both the army and RSF from a transitional political process.

The International Criminal Court expressed “profound alarm and deepest concern” over the reports from El-Fasher, warning that such acts may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Speaking at a forum in Qatar on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the warring parties to “come to the negotiating table, bring an end to this nightmare of violence—now.”