40 Dead in Sudan Funeral Attack as RSF Prepares New Offensive

At least 40 people were killed in an attack on a funeral in the city of El-Obeid, central Sudan, as violence escalates amid the ongoing war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed the incident on Wednesday, saying the situation in the Kordofan region continues to worsen. OCHA called for an immediate ceasefire and urged all parties to respect international humanitarian law.

The RSF, which recently captured El-Fasher — the army’s last stronghold in western Darfur — is reportedly preparing for another major offensive in Kordofan. The war, now in its third year, has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions.

Witnesses who fled El-Fasher described horrific acts, including mass killings and public rapes allegedly committed by RSF fighters. “The rapes were gang rapes… in public, in front of everyone, and no one could stop it,” said a woman identified as Amira, speaking from a makeshift shelter in Tawila.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported treating over 300 survivors of sexual violence following RSF attacks earlier this year, which forced more than 380,000 people to flee the Zamzam camp.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has expressed “profound alarm” over reports from El-Fasher, warning that the acts may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Meanwhile, Sudan’s army-backed defence minister, Hassan Kabroun, said the military would continue fighting the RSF despite a new US ceasefire proposal. “Our preparations for war are a legitimate national right,” he said on state television.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appealed to both sides to end what he described as a “nightmare of violence.”