KHARTOUM, Sudan

The Sudanese army declared the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) a rebel group amid fighting between their forces in the capital Khartoum.

In a statement, the army accused the RSF of attacking its forces in the capital Khartoum and other cities.

“The rebel RSF spreads lies about our forces attacking them, to cover up their rebellious behavior,” the army statement said.

Fighting broke out in Khartoum early Saturday with gunfire and bombs heard near the army headquarters and presidential palace, according to an Anadolu reporter in Khartoum.

The RSF, for its part, claimed that it had taken control of Khartoum airport and Merowe military base in northern Sudan.

The dispute between the two sides came to the surface on Thursday when the army said recent movements by the RSF had happened without coordination and were illegal, with their rift centering around a proposed transition to civilian rule.