Several killed, injured in RSF attacks in Sudan’s South Kordofan

ISTANBUL

Several people were killed and injured in an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in South Kordofan in southern Sudan on Wednesday, local media reported.

RSF forces and allied fighters of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N) carried out artillery shelling on the city of Dilling in the early morning, said Sudan News portal, citing witnesses. RSF drones also targeted the al-Samasim area along the road linking Dilling and Kadugli in the same state.

Preliminary reports indicated that a gathering of displaced civilians fleeing Kadugli town was hit in the attacks.

Another strike targeted the Faraghal neighborhood of Dilling, resulting in civilian deaths and injuries, witnesses said.

There was no immediate comment from the RSF on the reports.

On Tuesday, the paramilitary group claimed to have gained control over the strategic al-Taqatu’ area in South Kordofan and released video footage showing the deployment of their fighters at the site. The Sudanese army has not commented on these developments.

The three Kordofan states – North, West, and South – have seen weeks of fierce fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), prompting tens of thousands of people to flee.

Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five states of the Darfur region in the west, except for some northern parts of North Darfur that remain under army control. The army, in turn, holds most areas of the remaining 13 states in the south, north, east, and center, including the capital, Khartoum.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has since killed thousands of people and displaced millions of others.