​​​​​​KHARTOUM, Sudan

Fierce clashes were reported Tuesday between the Sudanese army and its rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the strategic city of El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state in southern Sudan.

A military source told Anadolu that the army inflicted heavy losses on RSF's troops and equipment, forcing them to flee positions.

Witnesses said clashes with heavy weapons erupted in the western areas of El-Obeid in the early hours of Tuesday, but calm was later restored to the city.

The RSF is yet to comment on the army’s announcement.

The city recently endured intensified artillery shelling by RSF militants, resulting in fatalities and casualties.

The army announced Thursday it had cleared the last RSF pockets in Khartoum, after regaining control of the capital’s airport, security headquarters and several neighborhoods in the east and south for the first time since April 2023.

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

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

The international community and the UN have called for an end to the war, 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.