At least 40 civilians have been killed in an attack on a funeral gathering in El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, the United Nations said on Wednesday, as fighting between Sudan’s warring forces spreads into new regions and deepens an already grave humanitarian crisis.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said dozens more were injured in the assault, describing conditions in Kordofan as rapidly deteriorating. It did not name the perpetrators, but the area has come under increased pressure as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) appear poised to expand their offensive after seizing control of El-Fasher — the Sudanese army’s last major holdout in Darfur.
Sudan’s civil war, which erupted in 2023 between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces, has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 10 million people — one of the worst displacement crises in the world today.
Reports of systematic sexual violence
Survivors fleeing El-Fasher and surrounding areas described widespread sexual violence blamed on RSF fighters.
“The rapes were public, in front of everyone. No one could stop it,” said Amira, a displaced mother of four now sheltering in Tawila. “If a family could not pay, fighters took their daughters instead.”
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said more than 300 survivors of sexual violence have sought medical care in the region following previous RSF operations, including the attack on Zamzam camp which forced roughly 380,000 people from their homes earlier this year.
Both the RSF and the army have been accused of atrocities throughout the conflict.
Pressure mounts for ceasefire
The United States has proposed a new ceasefire initiative, though details have not been released. Sudan’s defence minister, Hassan Kabroun, confirmed that the army has discussed the plan but insisted military operations will continue.
“Our preparations for war are a legitimate national right,” Kabroun said in a televised address, while thanking the Trump administration for its mediation efforts.
The White House said it is working alongside Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to push both sides back to negotiations but acknowledged that conditions remain “extremely complex.”
The International Criminal Court has warned that the latest documented abuses “may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres appealed directly to the rival commanders to halt the violence.
“Sudan’s people have endured enough,” he said. “This conflict must end.”
With the RSF consolidating control over western and southern zones and the army holding the north and east, analysts increasingly fear the country is edging toward a de facto partition - and a humanitarian disaster that could deepen well beyond Kordofan and Darfur.
Leave a Reply