KHARTOUM, Sudan

The Sudanese army said Wednesday that its forces made new military gains against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El-Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur State in western Sudan.

A military statement said that 33 militia members were killed and injured and eight combat vehicles were destroyed in attacks on RSF forces northeast of El-Fasher.

There was no immediate comment from the rebel faction on the situation in the city, which serves as a humanitarian operations hub for the five Darfur states.

RSF-controlled areas have been shrinking rapidly in recent weeks as the army gained more ground in the capital Khartoum and other states.

The paramilitary group still controls four of Darfur’s five states, while northern and eastern Sudan remain largely unaffected by the fighting.

In Khartoum State, which consists of three cities, the army now controls 90% of Bahri in the north, most of Omdurman in the west, and 60% of central Khartoum, where the presidential palace and international airport are located. Army forces have nearly encircled these strategic sites, while RSF fighters remain entrenched in neighborhoods in the east and south.

The Sudanese army and RSF have been fighting a war since mid-April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.

Calls by the international community and the UN for an end to the war are mounting, with warnings of an impending humanitarian catastrophe as millions face famine and death due to food shortages. The conflict has spread to 13 of Sudan’s 18 states.