Clashes reported in Babanusa, West Kordofan

Fighting erupted between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Babanusa town of West Kordofan State on Saturday, with reports of renewed violence on Sunday morning.

Fighting erupted between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Babanusa town of West Kordofan State on Saturday, with reports of renewed violence on Sunday morning.

The Babanusa Emergency Room confirmed in a statement seen by Radio Tamazuj that the clashes persisted from Saturday night until Sunday morning, resulting in a significant number of casualties and injuries on both sides.

The statement indicated that the RSF had made relentless attempts to overrun the army’s 23rd Infantry Division in Bananusa, the capital of West Kordofan State. It further stated that the city has become a war zone, with all citizens fleeing for fear for their lives.

Mahmoud Juma, the spokesperson for the Babanusa Emergency Room, confirmed that the city had witnessed fierce battles. He noted significant losses on both sides, as corpses are widely scattered throughout the city centre and its outskirts.

Juma revealed that residents have deserted the city due to the disruption of communication networks and electricity amid a blockade imposed by the RSF on the town.

Meanwhile, Khartoum Bahri has witnessed intense battles near the Sudanese army’s Signal Corps base since Saturday as the RSF attempts to seize the strategic military base. 

The army has been on the back foot militarily for much of the conflict, which has devastated swathes of the capital and triggered ethically driven killings in Darfur. The RSF seized large parts of the capital in the first days of fighting.

However, the army has recently recovered some ground in Omdurman, which along with Khartoum and Bahri makes up the wider capital divided by the Nile.