At least 40 people in Sudan have been killed in a drone strike that targeted a funeral taking place outside the army-held city of el-Obeid in North Kordofan state, officials and activists say.
They blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for the attack on al-Luweib village as mourners had gathered in a tent. The RSF has not yet commented on the incident.
Many victims reportedly succumbed to their injuries before reaching the hospital in el-Obeid, a strategic city that connects the capital, Khartoum, to the western region of Darfur.
Reports indicate that fighting has heightened in this oil-rich Kordofan area, prompting approximately 20,000 people to flee to el-Obeid in the previous week after the RSF captured nearby Bara town.
In conjunction with the escalation, there have been alarming reports of mass killings, sexual violence, and widespread looting perpetrated by RSF fighters in el-Fasher, which recently fell to the group.
The UN has indicated that summary executions of civilians attributed to RSF fighters have been reported in Bara, raising significant concerns about potential war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The RSF leader has promised to investigate reported violations but has refuted allegations that recent killings in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated.
As the humanitarian crisis evolves due to the RSF's 18-month siege of el-Fasher, with reports of civilians experiencing famine conditions, the UN Secretary-General has called for an immediate end to the violence in Sudan. UN Chief António Guterres emphasized the dire situation, which is spiraling out of control, and urged a halt to hostilities and a return to negotiations aimed at achieving peace.
The barrage of attacks and the deteriorating humanitarian conditions raise serious alarms about the future stability of the region amid ongoing civil conflict that has reportedly claimed over 150,000 lives and displaced approximately 12 million individuals.
