KHARTOUM, Sudan / ISTANBUL

The Sudanese army seized several areas west of Abbasiya Tagali in South Kordofan on Sunday after heavy clashes with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), witnesses said.

Army troops entered Tabsa, al-Damra, Gardoud Jama, and al-Mureib after fighting RSF and SPLM-North forces, witnesses told Anadolu, adding that controlling these areas west of Abbasiya Tagali stops attacks on the city by the RSF and its allies.

The Nuba Mountains community platform, a local NGO, confirmed that the army took Tabsa, Gardoud Jama, al-Mureib, and al-Damra from the RSF.

Army personnel posted videos showing troops claiming their control of Tabsa and al-Damra as civilians celebrated.

Neither the army, the RSF nor SPLM-North commented on the report.

The three Kordofan states – North, West and South – have seen weeks of fierce fighting between the army and the RSF, prompting tens of thousands of people to flee, according to residents.

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 killed at least 40,000 people and displaced 12 million, according to the World Health Organization.