At least 40 people were killed and many others injured when a drone strike hit a funeral gathering in Al-Luweib village, located near the army-controlled city of El-Obeid in Sudan’s North Kordofan state. Local officials and aid workers blamed the attack on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary group that has been battling the Sudanese army since April 2023.
Witnesses said mourners had gathered under a tent when the drone strike struck without warning, leaving several people dead instantly and many more wounded. Some of the injured reportedly died before reaching hospitals in El-Obeid, a key city that links Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, to the war-torn Darfur region.
The attack comes as fighting intensifies in Kordofan, an oil-rich region that has seen heavy clashes in recent weeks. Thousands of residents have been forced to flee after the RSF captured nearby Bara town, 30 kilometers north of El-Obeid.
Reports from Darfur and other conflict zones have raised grave concerns about human rights abuses. The United Nations has received accounts of mass killings, sexual violence, kidnappings, and looting by RSF fighters, particularly in El-Fasher and Bara. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has warned that such actions could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as “Hemedti,” has claimed his group is investigating alleged abuses, but he denies accusations that the attacks are ethnically motivated.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Sudan continues to worsen. International food security experts have confirmed that El-Fasher is facing famine after an 18-month siege by the RSF. In South Kordofan’s Kadugli city, hunger has reached catastrophic levels as the area remains cut off from food and medical supplies.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for an immediate end to the violence, warning that the crisis is spiraling beyond control. Speaking during a summit in Doha, Guterres said that “El-Fasher and nearby areas have become the epicenter of hunger, suffering, and displacement.”
Efforts to mediate peace between the Sudanese army and RSF have repeatedly failed despite international pressure. The United States and other global powers are pushing for a truce, but both sides remain reluctant to lay down arms.
Mohamed Ismail, North Kordofan’s humanitarian aid commissioner, confirmed to the Sudan Tribune that “drones belonging to the RSF militia attacked citizens during a funeral, killing 40 people and injuring dozens.”
The North Kordofan Resistance Committee, a volunteer relief group, said the attack occurred about 15 kilometers east of El-Obeid. Humanitarian agencies have warned that El-Obeid is already overwhelmed with thousands of displaced people fleeing from nearby conflict zones.
Since the civil war erupted in April 2023, more than 150,000 people have lost their lives, and an estimated 12 million others have been displaced from their homes. The UN describes the ongoing war in Sudan as the world’s largest humanitarian disaster, with millions facing starvation and limited access to basic needs.