By Obinna Uballa
At least 40 civilians were killed in an attack on a funeral gathering in El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, as Sudan’s war spreads deeper into the country and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) appear poised for another major offensive.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), confirming the deaths on Wednesday, did not specify which side carried out the strike but warned that the situation in Kordofan is deteriorating rapidly, AFP reported.
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since 2023, when fighting broke out between the military and the RSF. The war has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, with violence now moving into new regions amid fears of an even wider humanitarian disaster.
The RSF recently seized El-Fasher, the army’s last stronghold in the Darfur region, and is now reportedly preparing to advance in Kordofan. The fall of El-Fasher gives the paramilitary group control over all five state capitals in Darfur, raising concerns the country could split along territorial lines.
“Local sources report that at least 40 civilians were killed and dozens injured yesterday in an attack on a funeral gathering in El-Obeid,” OCHA said. “We once again call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for all parties to protect civilians.”
Survivors fleeing El-Fasher have described widespread sexual violence perpetrated by RSF fighters.
“The rapes were gang rapes. Mass rape in public, rape in front of everyone,” said a displaced mother of four, Amira, speaking from Tawila camp under a pseudonym. “If you couldn’t pay to be spared, they took your daughters instead.”
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said more than 300 survivors of sexual assault had sought treatment in Tawila following earlier RSF attacks, including on the vast Zamzam camp, where over 380,000 people were forced to flee last spring.
Both the RSF and the Sudanese army have been accused of committing war crimes.
The United States has put forward a new ceasefire proposal, though details remain undisclosed. Sudan’s defence minister, Hassan Kabroun, after meeting with the military’s security and defence council, said the army would continue fighting.
“We thank the Trump administration for its efforts to achieve peace, but our preparations for battle are ongoing,” he said in a televised speech.
The White House said Washington is working with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to push for a negotiated settlement, though the Sudanese authorities previously rejected an earlier peace framework from the same grouping.
The International Criminal Court has warned that atrocities reported in El-Fasher “may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged both sides to stop the fighting. “This nightmare of violence must end,” he said.
As fighting intensifies, millions of Sudanese civilians are left trapped between advancing forces, dwindling aid supplies, and escalating atrocities – with no clear path to peace in sight.
