PORT SUDAN: An attack on a funeral in the key city of El-Obeid, in Sudan’s North Kordofan state, has left 40 people dead, according to the United Nations on Wednesday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), citing local sources, has reported that the incident occurred in the city, which remains under the control of the government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
However, OCHA did not specify the exact timing of the attack or identify those responsible.
The conflict in Sudan, which has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions, has recently expanded into new areas, raising concerns of an escalating humanitarian crisis.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), engaged in a violent struggle with the military since 2023, were reportedly preparing to launch an offensive in Kordofan after seizing El-Fasher, the final army stronghold in Darfur’s vast western region.
“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,” the UN’s OCHA agency said.
“Once again, OCHA calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for all parties to protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law.”
People forced to flee El-Fasher have described horrific abuse, including rape, at the hands of the RSF.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported that over 300 survivors of sexual violence have sought medical care from its teams in Tawila following a recent RSF attack on the nearby Zamzam camp, which displaced more than 380,000 people last spring.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday that Washington wanted “to see this conflict come to a peaceful end, just as we have with so many others, but the reality is it’s a very complicated situation on the ground right now.”
The International Criminal Court on Monday voiced “profound alarm and deepest concern” over the reports from El-Fasher, adding that such acts “may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
