KHARTOUM, Sudan

At least seven civilians were killed and dozens injured in artillery shelling by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, authorities said on Monday.

Khartoum State said RSF forces shelled the western districts of the Al-Thawra neighborhood in Omdurman, the twin city of Khartoum on Sunday night, killing four people, including two children, and injuring 30 others.

Three more people were killed and 20 others injured in RSF artillery shelling in El-Obeid city, the capital of the North Kordofan State in southern Sudan, the Sudanese Doctors Network, a non-governmental organization, said in a statement.

The NGO appealed to the international community to pressure the paramilitary group to stop its attacks on civilian areas.

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

On Sunday, the Sudanese army announced the capture of strategic locations in central Khartoum, further tightening the siege on RSF militants in the area.

Over the past few weeks, the territorial control of the RSF has been shrinking rapidly in favor of the Sudanese army across several states, including Khartoum, Al-Jazira, White Nile, North Kordofan, Sennar, and Blue Nile.

In the Khartoum state, which consists of three cities, the army now controls all of Bahri City in the north, most parts of Omdurman City in the west, and 75% of central Khartoum City, which houses the Presidential Palace and the country’s main airport. The RSF, however, still maintains control over the eastern and southern parts of the city.

The army and RSF have been fighting a war since mid-April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.

International and UN calls for an end to the war are mounting, warning of an impending humanitarian catastrophe as millions face famine and death due to food shortages. The conflict has spread to 13 of Sudan’s 18 states.