Deadly Sudan drone strike targets funeral procession

Rights groups accuse the RSF paramilitary group of killing civilians in el-Obeid, a city on the civil war's front line. Sudan war: Deadly drone strike targets funeral procession in el-Obeid, rights groups say The human cost of the war in Sudan, three years on Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. El Obeid has been targeted in several drone attacks including when this picture was taken in March A man in a military uniform stands in a crater, surrounded by sand. His right hand rests on the fin of a downed drone which says "do not touch". Deadly Sudan drone strike targets funeral procession A drone strike on a funeral procession at a cemetery in the Sudanese city of el-Obeid has killed at least four people and injured several others, two rights groups, Sudan Doctors Network and Emergency Lawyers, have said. Both groups blame the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for the attack. Emergency Lawyers said it was part of a series of drone strikes that started on Wednesday evening in which at least 23 people have died in all. El-Obeid, currently in the hands of the army, is a key battleground in Sudan's three-year civil war which began after the leaders of the army and RSF fell out over the future direction of the country. The fighting has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis with more than 11 million people forced from their homes and 28 million facing acute hunger. There are no reliable figures for the death toll, but it is thought to be at least 50,000. Mohamed Suleiman looks up at the camera, he has a blanket around his shoulders. Three years of messages at once - a chronicle of Sudan's war pours in as trapped reporter's phone turns on Makarem and Ikram are sitting next to each other on a bed with a wall behind them. They're wearing long robes and headscarves 'Half of my friends were killed' - the girls returning to a school caught up in war In addition to the attack on the cemetery, Emergency Lawyers said that drones struck homes in a residential neighbourhood, the airport district and areas surrounding an army base. Thirteen civilians were killed, the group said, as civilians gathered near destroyed houses. It also reported that five civilians were killed in earlier attacks. "It is tragic. The roofs of houses collapsed on their occupants. When you look at some houses, you feel no-one could have survived," one resident told the AFP news agency in the wake of the attacks. In another attack a driver of a lorry carrying food supplies died when his vehicle was struck on Thursday, both Emergency Lawyers and Sudan Doctors Network have said. The two groups describe systematic and repeated attacks on civilians in el-Obeid for several days. The city is in the country's oil-rich Kordofan region - which is divided into North, South and West Kordofan states. It become a major front line in the war due to its strategic significance, sitting between RSF-controlled areas in the west and eastern areas where the army is mostly in charge. Analysts say whoever controls the region effectively controls the country's oil supply, as well as a large chunk of the country. Split screen image of displaced Sudabese woman and the BBC's Barbara Plett Usher Displaced women rest, one seen with her head resting on her hand, in the town of Tawila after fleeing el-Fasher following the city's fall to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - October 2025. A simple guide to what is happening in Sudan A treated image of two soldiers and a close up shot of Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman al-Burhan The devastating conflict where both sides have reasons to keep fighting Three RSF fighters smile to the camera as they stand in front of destroyed cars at a site near el-Fasher. They are imposed over a satellite image of the scene with the BBC Verify logo. 'Our job is only killing' - how Sudan's brutal militia carried out a massacre A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News Africa Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Nigeria is the latest African state to repatriate citizens following reports of xenophobic attacks. James Lewis is dribbling a football from Morocco to Staffordshire to return in time for the World Cup final. Another nine people were injured at an informal settlement in Cleveland late on Tuesday. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said fighting in DR Congo was hampering efforts to stop spread The United Arab Emirates has denied any involvement in the civil war and says it investigates alleged links. Sudan's foreign minister says Ethiopia and UAE has chosen the "wrong path" and would regret it. The Conflict Insights Group (CIG) says its research also shows the extent of UAE involvement. Shamim Mafi is accused of brokering the sales of arms to Sudan's defence ministry on behalf of Iran.