KHARTOUM, Sudan / ANKARA

The Sudanese army said Thursday that four more civilians were killed and nine injured in artillery shelling by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the city of El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur in western Sudan.

The Sixth Infantry Division in El-Fasher said forces repelled an assault by RSF militants and cut a supply line for the group in the city, killing 10 militants, destroying five military vehicles and seizing three others.

"The RSF militia carried out indiscriminate and intensified shelling on several neighborhoods of El-Fasher on Wednesday night, resulting in the martyrdom of four civilians and the injury of nine others," an army statement said.

The RSF has yet to comment t.

Separately, fierce clashes have also been reported between the army and RSF in West Kordofan state in southern Sudan, involving heavy arms, according to witnesses.

They told Anadolu that fighting was seen in several parts of En-Nahud, which is under the army's control.

En-Nahud became the administrative capital of West Kordofan after the RSF had seized control of the state's capital, El-Fula, last June.

The RSF, however, failed to control key cities and towns in West Kordofan, like En-Nahud and Babanusa, which remain under the control of the army.

Late Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced concern about the deteriorating situation in El-Fasher.

"The Secretary-General is appalled by the increasingly catastrophic situation in Sudan's North Darfur State, as deadly attacks continue on its capital, Al-Fasher, which come just two weeks after an assault on the famine-stricken Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps which reportedly killed hundreds of civilians, including humanitarian workers," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

El-Fasher has seen deadly clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF since May 2024, despite international warnings of the risks of fighting in the city, which serves as a hub for humanitarian operations in all five Darfur states.

Earlier this month, the RSF claimed to have seized control of the Zamzam refugee camp in the city after clashes with army forces. At least 400 civilians were killed and nearly 400,000 were displaced due to the fighting, according to UN figures.

Since April 15, 2023, the RSF has been battling the Sudanese army for control of the country, resulting in thousands of deaths and one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

More than 20,000 people have been killed so far, and 15 million others displaced, according to the UN and local authorities. US researchers, however, estimate the death toll at around 130,000.​​​​​​​