Displaced children from El-Fasher, in a refugee camp in the Darfur region, on Monday, November 3, 2025Image: keystone
November 5, 2025, 3:57 p.mNovember 5, 2025, 3:57 p.m
In the civil war-torn country of Sudan, fighting is increasingly spreading to the resource-rich Kordofan region in the center of the country. At least 40 civilians were killed in an attack on a funeral in the town of al-Obeid, the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs said on Wednesday, citing “local sources”.
Observers see the danger that Sudan will ultimately be effectively divided. The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) initially did not provide any information about those possibly responsible for the attack in Kordofan.
Sudanese army officers inspect a paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) weapons depot, May 3, 2025, in Khartoum, Sudan.Image: keystone
In Sudan, the army of military ruler Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia of his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo have been fighting for control of the northeast African country since April 2023. On October 26, the RSF captured the city of al-Fashir, bringing the last of eight provincial capitals in western Sudan’s Darfur region under its control.
Rich in mineral resources
In the past few days, the RSF had prepared a major attack in the Kordofan region, with a particular focus on al-Obeid. stood. Kordofan is divided into a north, south and west part. The strategically important region, which lies between Darfur and the capital Khartoum, is rich in natural resources.
The RSF’s capture of al-Fasher had fueled fears that Sudan could effectively be divided into an eastern part controlled by it and a western part controlled by the government. In addition to Darfur, the RSF controls parts of southern Sudan, while the army controls regions in the north, east and center of the country along the Nile and on the Red Sea coast.
The army currently governs Sudan from the port city of Port Sudan, and former UN official Kamil Idris has held the office of head of government since May 2025. The RSF installed a counter-government in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur.
“Crimes against humanity”
According to the UN, 65,000 people fled al-Fashir after it was captured by the RSF, and tens of thousands more are still trapped in the city. There are numerous eyewitness accounts of mass executions, rapes and other atrocities in the city. According to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, these actions could constitute “war crimes and crimes against humanity within the meaning of the Rome Statute”.
Both parties to the conflict receive support from abroad. The United Arab Emirates is considered the RSF’s most important helper; UN reports and publicly available sources show military support. However, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Russia and Saudi Arabia are considered allies of the government in Sudan. (sda/afp)