KHARTOUM, Sudan/ISTANBUL

The Sudanese army repelled a fierce attack launched Friday by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the besieged city of Babnousa in West Kordofan State, in the latest round of a military escalation in the area.

Military sources told Anadolu that the 22nd Infantry Division in Babnousa managed to repel a large-scale assault in which the RSF used heavy and light weapons as well as drones, before withdrawing after suffering significant losses.

“The RSF pulled back and shifted its artillery fire toward the headquarters of the 22nd Division inside Babnousa,” said sources.

In recent days, the Sudanese army has repelled several RSF attacks on Babnousa involving artillery shelling, drones and combat vehicles.

The army has recently been airdropping supplies to support its forces inside the city, which has become deserted after nearly 177,000 residents fled, according to local relief committees.

In the town of Kartala in South Kordofan State, military sources told Anadolu that army forces repelled and pushed back RSF units, along with fighters from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu and allied with the RSF, who attacked the town for the second consecutive day.

They noted that the army inflicted heavy losses on attacking forces in personnel and equipment.

Army members also posted videos on social media showing their forces capturing combat vehicles in Kartala.

As of 0810GMT, neither the army nor the RSF had issued any official comment.

It comes amid days of intense clashes across the three Kordofan states -- North, West and South -- between the army and the RSF, as part of a war that erupted in April 2023.

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 national capital of Khartoum.