RSF troops reportedly suffer heavy losses in Sudan's North Kordofan state
An armed force allied to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has reportedly inflicted heavy losses on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the North Kordofan state.
An armed force allied to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has reportedly inflicted heavy losses on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the North Kordofan state.
The Sudan Shield Forces, an ally of the army, said in a statement on Tuesday that it had carried out a “successful military combat mission” in the Um Sayala area of North Kordofan, as part of a plan “to eradicate rebellion and completely destroy its capabilities in the North Kordofan axis.”
The group claimed that it had inflicted heavy losses on the RSF in both personnel and equipment, “despite the large-scale mobilisation of the militia, which was supported by drones and heavy artillery.”
It, however, acknowledged casualties among its fighters, including its commander, Abu Aqla Kikil, who sustained minor injuries.
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Formed in early 2022 in the eastern Al Jazirah state, the group has an estimated force of more than 35,000 fighters.
Kikil had joined the RSF in August 2023, but later defected to the Sudan Shield Forces army.
On Monday, the Sudanese army said that it had recaptured Um Sayala, 200 kilometres north of the provincial capital El-Obeid, following fierce clashes with the RSF.
The paramilitary group, however, claimed that it had achieved victory over army forces in Um Sayala.
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Following the RSF seizure of Al Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, last month, fighting between the paramilitary group and the Sudanese army spread to new fronts, particularly to the Kordofan region in central and southern Sudan.
RSF controls all five Darfur states, out of Sudan’s 18 states, while the army holds most of the remaining 13 states, including Khartoum.
Darfur makes up about one-fifth of Sudan’s territory, but most of the country’s 50 million people live in army-held areas.
The conflict in Sudan between the army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has killed at least 40,000 people and displaced 12 million, according to the World Health Organization