Army forces, paramilitary RSF wage fierce clashes in Sudan

KHARTOUM, Sudan

Fierce clashes have been reported between the Sudanese army and its rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the capital Khartoum and the southeastern Sennar State.

“Clashes with heavy weapons erupted in central Khartoum between the army and RSF since early morning,” a local source told Anadolu on Wednesday.

Powerful explosions were heard in the area and billows of smoke were seen rising into the sky, witnesses said.

Activists also reported clashes between army forces and RSF fighters in the Al-Dali and Al-Mazmum areas of Sennar State, the last strongholds of the paramilitary group in the state.

Meanwhile, a local relief committee in El-Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur State in western Sudan, said six people were killed and several others injured by RSF shelling on the Abu Shouk displacement camp.

Darfur Governor Arcua Minnawi said on X that the RSF's siege on El-Fasher and starvation of its people are "of the biggest crimes and humanitarian violations.”

The Khartoum State Health Ministry said in a statement that a child was killed and five civilians were injured during intense artillery shelling by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on residential areas in the Karari district of Omdurman, west of Khartoum.

The shelling mainly targeted the Al-Thawra neighborhood and Albulk's girls' school. The victims sustained varying degrees of injuries, the statement confirmed.

There was no immediate comment from the rebel faction on the accusation.

Later, Sudan’s armed forces successfully carried out a "coordinated and simultaneous operation" to eliminate RSF units in several areas across White Nile, Sennar, and Blue Nile states, army spokesperson Nabil Abdullah said in a statement.

The statement confirmed that the army "forcefully and decisively" reclaimed the towns of Dali and Al-Mazmum in Sennar State, as well as Roro, al-Qurabein, and Guli in Blue Nile State, and al-Tabun, al-Jafrat, al-Melissa, and Abu Arif in White Nile State.

With the recapture of Dali and Al-Mazmum from the RSF, the army has secured full control over Sennar State, which borders South Sudan, while the RSF retains small pockets of presence in White Nile and Blue Nile states.

Sudan has been embroiled in a war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces since mid-April 2023, with over 20,000 people killed and 14 million displaced, according to the UN and local authorities. However, research from US universities estimates that the death toll is around 130,000.