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The RSF has been accused of mass atrocities over the last week - which it says it is investigating [AFP photo]
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North Kordofan
At least 40 people have been killed in Sudan after a drone strike hit a funeral gathering outside the army-controlled city of El-Obeid in North Kordofan State, officials and activists have confirmed. The attack occurred on Monday in Al-Luweib village, where mourners had gathered inside a tent. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been accused of carrying out the strike, though the group has not yet issued an official statement. Many of the injured reportedly died before reaching hospitals in El-Obeid, a key strategic city linking the capital, Khartoum, to the conflict-torn Darfur region.
Escalation of Conflict in Kordofan
The latest attack comes amid intensified fighting in the oil-rich Kordofan region. Approximately 20,000 people fled to El-Obeid last week after the RSF seized Bara town, located about 30km (18 miles) to the north. Bara fell around the same time the RSF captured El-Fasher, the army’s last major stronghold in Darfur. Since the fall of El-Fasher, reports have emerged of mass killings, sexual violence, abductions, and widespread looting attributed to RSF fighters. The UN has also received reports of summary executions of civilians in Bara. International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan has warned that such atrocities could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The RSF leadership has pledged to investigate any “violations”, but continues to deny claims of ethnically-motivated attacks against non-Arab communities.
Graphic [BBC]
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
The situation in Sudan’s conflict zones is rapidly deteriorating. A consortium of UN-accredited food security experts (IPC) confirmed on Monday that residents of El-Fasher are now experiencing famine, following an 18-month RSF siege. The city of Kadugli in South Kordofan, located nearly 300km south of El-Obeid, has also reached the most catastrophic level of hunger. It too remains surrounded and cut off from supplies by RSF forces. UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark warning on Monday, urging an immediate halt to the violence: “The horrifying crisis in Sudan is spiraling out of control,” he said during a summit in Doha. “El-Fasher and surrounding areas have become an epicentre of suffering, hunger, violence and displacement — and since the Rapid Support Forces entered the city last weekend, the situation grows worse by the day.” Guterres called on both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF to return to peace talks and “bring an end to this nightmare of violence”.
Truce Under Consideration
A Sudanese government source told AFP that authorities are considering a US-backed proposal for a ceasefire. Several past negotiation rounds in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have collapsed, with both warring parties unwilling to commit to a truce.
Attack Confirmed by Local Authorities
The North Kordofan Resistance Committee, a volunteer aid group, confirmed Monday’s drone attack, stating it took place 15km east of El-Obeid. Mohamed Ismail, North Kordofan’s Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, told the Sudan Tribune: “Drones belonging to the Rapid Support Forces militia attacked citizens who were at a funeral, resulting in the death of 40 people and the injury of dozens.”
Last week, the UN reported that El-Obeid was already overwhelmed as thousands fled the fall of Bara.
Sudan’s Civil War Toll
Since war erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF in April 2023:
More than 150,000 people have been killed, and Approximately 12 million have been displaced, in what the UN describes as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
Source: BBC
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