Sudan’s army wages major offensive on paramilitary RSF in Khartoum

KHARTOUM, Sudan

The Sudanese army launched a ground and aerial offensive on positions of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group in the capital Khartoum on Thursday, according to local media and witnesses.

The private Al-Sudani newspaper, citing military sources, said the army staged a wide-scale attack against the RSF in Khartoum.

It reported “heavy losses in lives and equipment” among RSF forces.

Eyewitnesses said sounds of artillery shelling and aerial bombing were heard in central Khartoum and Bahri city, north of the capital.

Footage shared on Sudanese social media accounts showed army forces deployed in positions that the RSF had controlled since the outbreak of the fighting in April 2023.

There was no immediate comment yet from the army or the RSF on the report.

Sudan has been mired by fighting between the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF led by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo.

At least 12,260 people have been killed and more than 33,000 injured in the conflict that started in April 2023, according to UN figures.

A humanitarian crisis continues to worsen in the country as nearly 6.8 million people have fled their homes seeking safety.

Several cease-fire agreements brokered by Saudi Arabia and US mediators have failed to end the violence.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar