Attack on funeral in war-torn Sudan’s Kordofan region kills 40, UN says

Reports of RSF onslaught connected army-held el-Obeid look arsenic paramilitary radical connected the verge of launching an violative connected the cardinal city.

An onslaught connected a ceremonial successful the cardinal metropolis of el-Obeid successful Sudan’s North Kordofan state has killed 40 people, according to the United Nations.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), citing section sources, said connected Tuesday the onslaught successful the authorities capital, which is inactive being held by the government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), occurred without specifying erstwhile it took spot oregon who was down it.

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Reports of the onslaught emerged arsenic the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) appeared poised to motorboat an violative connected the metropolis arsenic service troops gathered successful a bid to repel them.

“The information concern successful the Kordofan portion continues to worsen,” said OCHA. “Once again, we telephone for an contiguous cessation of hostilities and for each parties to support civilians and respect planetary humanitarian law.”

Fighting successful the oil-rich portion has intensified, with thousands fleeing to el-Obeid past week aft the RSF recaptured the metropolis of Bara, immoderate 60km (37 miles) northbound of the city, from the SAF.

In parallel, the RSF seized power of el-Fasher, the superior of North Darfur state, aft the SAF’s withdrawal. More than 70,000 radical person fled the metropolis and surrounding areas since the RSF’s takeover, according to the UN.

Witnesses and quality rights groups person reported cases of “summary executions”, intersexual unit and massacres of civilians.

Nathaniel Raymond, enforcement manager of the Humanitarian Research Lab astatine Yale’s School of Public Health, told Al Jazeera connected Tuesday that the RSF had “begun to excavation wide graves and to cod bodies passim the city”.

UN officials also warned this week that thousands of radical are believed to beryllium trapped successful el-Fasher.

The ruinous civilian warfare broke retired successful 2023, erstwhile a powerfulness conflict betwixt the RSF and the SAF prompted warring successful the capital, Khartoum.

Since then, the RSF has taken power of much than a 3rd of the state successful a struggle that has killed tens of thousands and displaced 12 million, astir a 4th of its population, becoming the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, according to the UN.

Sudan’s Defence Minister Hassan Kabroun said connected Tuesday that SAF would property connected with its combat against the RSF aft the country’s Security and Defence Council met to sermon a connection from the United States for a ceasefire.