UN: Attack on Funeral in el-Obeid Kills 40
An assault on a funeral in the strategic city of el-Obeid in North Kordofan has killed 40 people, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday. OCHA, citing local sources, reported the strike occurred in the state capital, which remains under the control of government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The agency did not provide a date for the attack or identify who was responsible.
“The security situation in the Kordofan region continues to worsen. Once again, we call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for all parties to protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law,” OCHA said.
Reports of the attack emerged as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) appeared poised to mount an offensive on el-Obeid while SAF units reportedly massed to defend the city. The violence has intensified across the oil-producing region, and thousands of people fled to el-Obeid last week after the RSF recaptured Bara, about 60 km (37 miles) north of the city.
Wider displacement and alleged abuses
In parallel, the RSF seized control of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, after SAF forces withdrew. The UN reports more than 70,000 people have been displaced from el-Fasher and surrounding areas since the RSF takeover. Witnesses and human rights groups have documented allegations of summary executions, sexual violence and other massacres of civilians amid the advances.
Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale School of Public Health, told Al Jazeera that the RSF had "begun to dig mass graves and to collect bodies throughout the city." UN officials also warned that thousands of people are believed to be trapped in el-Fasher and unable to flee the fighting.
Context of the conflict
The destructive civil war began in 2023 after a power struggle between the RSF and the SAF triggered fighting in Khartoum. Since then, the RSF has taken control of more than one-third of Sudan. The conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced about 12 million people — nearly a quarter of the country's population — creating what the UN calls the world's largest humanitarian crisis.
Sudan's Defence Minister Hassan Kabroun said the SAF would continue its campaign against the RSF after the country's Security and Defence Council reviewed a US proposal for a ceasefire. The situation remains highly fluid and dangerous for civilians across multiple regions.
Key facts
- 40 people killed in an attack on a funeral in el-Obeid (OCHA).
- OCHA did not provide date or attribution for the strike.
- RSF appears poised to assault el-Obeid while SAF troops mass to defend it.
- RSF captured el-Fasher; more than 70,000 displaced and thousands reportedly trapped.
- Conflict began in 2023; tens of thousands killed and ~12 million displaced.
