KHARTOUM, Sudan / ISTANBUL

The Sudanese army said Thursday that its forces had killed 60 militants from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State in western Sudan.

A military statement said its forces and allied groups repelled a violent attack by RSF forces west of the city on Wednesday, killing 60 militants and injuring 52 others.

According to the statement, five civilians were killed and 40 others injured, including women, in RSF artillery shelling in the city on Wednesday.

El-Fasher has seen deadly clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF since May 2024, despite international warnings over the risks of fighting in the city, which serves as a hub for humanitarian operations in all five Darfur states.

Earlier this month, the RSF claimed to have seized control of the Zamzam refugee camp in the city after clashes with army forces. At least 400 civilians were killed, and nearly 400,000 were displaced due to the fighting, according to UN figures.

Separately, the Sudan Doctors’ Network, a civilian medical organization, said 74 people were killed and 178 others injured in attacks by RSF forces in Al-Za’afah village in West Kordofan State in southern Sudan.

It said that nine women and 12 children were among the victims.

There was no immediate comment from the rebel group on the statement.

Last June, the paramilitary group captured El-Fula, the capital of West Kordofan, though it failed to control key cities like En-Nahud and Babanusa, which remain under the control of the Sudanese army.

Since April 15, 2023, the RSF has been battling the Sudanese army forces for control of the country, resulting in thousands of deaths and one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

More than 20,000 people have been killed so far, and 15 million others displaced, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US scholars, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.