At least 35 people are dead after a drone strike hit a funeral procession in Omdurman, Sudan, on Wednesday, according to local medics. The attack, which targeted mourners gathered for a burial, has drawn international condemnation and renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire. The UK, holding the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council, is pressing for an emergency session to address the escalating violence.
The strike took place in the Karari district, a stronghold of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been locked in a brutal conflict with the Sudanese army since April 2023. Witnesses reported that a drone fired two missiles into the crowd, triggering chaos and panic. The dead include women and children, with scores more wounded.
This is the latest atrocity in a war that has killed over 12,000 people and displaced more than 6 million. The RSF accused the army of carrying out the strike, a claim the military has denied. Yet on the ground, the distinction matters little. For families in Omdurman, this is another day of grief in a conflict that shows no sign of ending.
At the UN, UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward called for "an immediate cessation of hostilities" and urged both sides to return to talks. But with each side accusing the other of violations, a diplomatic breakthrough remains elusive. The African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development have also pleaded for a truce, but the guns keep firing.
The British government has pledged an additional £10 million in humanitarian aid, but aid workers warn that access is shrinking. The World Food Programme says 19 million Sudanese face acute hunger. "We are running out of time," said a UN official. "Every day of fighting pushes more people towards starvation."
For now, the people of Omdurman are left to bury their dead again. The strike on a funeral is a grim symbol of a war that has lost all restraint. And in the corridors of power, the words "ceasefire" and "negotiations" ring hollow as the bombs keep falling.
