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 report.
They hold the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) responsible for Monday's attack on al-Luweib village, where mourners had gathered in a tent. The RSF has not yet issued a comment on the incident.
Many victims reportedly died before reaching hospitals in el-Obeid, a critical location connecting the capital, Khartoum, to the western region of Darfur.
Recent fighting has intensified in this oil-rich area, with around 20,000 people fleeing to el-Obeid after RSF captured Bara town, located about 30km (18 miles) north of the city.
The town of Bara fell concurrently with the city of el-Fasher, previously the army's last stronghold in Darfur, amid escalating violence and alarming reports of mass killings, sexual violence, abductions, and looting by RSF fighters.
The UN has expressed concerns, reporting that summary executions of civilians by RSF fighters have been accurately documented in Bara.
Such atrocities are feared to amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to warnings from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
While the RSF leader has pledged to investigate alleged violations, his group denies the widespread accusations of ethnically motivated killings targeting non-Arab populations.
The humanitarian crisis is deteriorating, with UN Chief António Guterres calling for an immediate end to violence in Sudan, likening the situation to a spiraling catastrophe.
The North Kordofan Resistance Committee stated the attack occurred in a village just 15km east of el-Obeid, and local humanitarian officials have confirmed the use of drones by RSF militia against civilians during the funeral.
Since the civil war began between the army and RSF in April 2023, the death toll has exceeded 150,000, with around 12 million people displaced, marking the conflict as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
