Sudanese army repels new RSF attack in West Kordofan

KHARTOUM, Sudan / ISTANBUL

The Sudanese army repelled a new attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the city of Babnousa in West Kordofan on Monday, according to a military source.

Troops from the army’s 22nd Infantry Division pushed back the RSF fighters, who attacked the city using heavy and light weapons, the source, who requested anonymity, told Anadolu.

The army inflicted “significant losses in personnel and equipment” on the RSF forces, the source added.

There has been no comment by the Sudanese army and the RSF on the report.

The RSF said Sunday that its fighters were advancing toward Babnousa to take the city, which has been under siege since January 2024.

Over recent days, the army has thwarted several RSF attacks on Babnousa using artillery fire, drones and armored vehicles, according to local reports.

The military has also dropped supplies to its troops inside the city, which is now empty of civilians after 177,000 residents fled, local relief committees said.

Last month, the RSF seized El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and was accused of massacres. The group now controls all five Darfur states, out of Sudan’s 18 states, while the army holds most of the remaining 13 states, including Khartoum.

Darfur makes up about one-fifth of Sudan’s territory, but most of the country’s 50 million people live in army-held areas.

The conflict in Sudan between the 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.