Sudanese army recaptures town from paramilitary RSF in central Sudan

KHARTOUM, Sudan

The Sudanese army recaptured a town in central Sudan on Monday amid military advances against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.

Defense Minister Yasin Ibrahim said that army forces seized control of Um Al-Qura town east of Al-Jazira State.

“Our forces are also advancing on the outskirts of Umm Ruwaba town in the North Kordofan State (in southern Sudan)," he added in a statement.

Um Al-Qura is 45 kilometers away from Wad Madani, the capital of Al-Jazira State, which was captured by the RSF militia in December last year.

Sudanese army soldiers published footages of their deployments in the town on their social media platforms.

There was no comment yet from the RSF on the army statement.

Meanwhile, local activists said that the shelling by the RSF militia of the Zamzam camp for displaced people in Al-Fasher city in North Darfur State, western Sudan, left two people killed and 12 others injured.

The activists said that the RSF shelling on the camp area has been continuing for the second day in a row.

The RSF denied reports of shelling the Zamzam camp, accusing the Sudanese army of taking civilians as human shields.

Al-Fasher city, since May 10, has witnessed fierce clashes between the Sudanese army and its rival RSF despite international warnings as the city is a center for humanitarian operations to all Darfur states in western Sudan.

Since mid-April last year, the Sudanese army and the RSF have been engaged in a conflict that has resulted in more than 20,000 deaths and displaced nearly 10 million people, according to the UN.

There have been growing calls from the UN and international bodies to end the conflict, as the war has pushed millions of Sudanese to the brink of famine and death due to food shortages, with the fighting spreading to 13 of Sudan's 18 states.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar