KHARTOUM, Sudan

The Sudanese local authorities on Monday said four civilians were killed and 30 others injured in an artillery shelling by the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Omdurman City in the capital Khartoum.

The Khartoum State said in a statement that the RSF attacked the western districts of Al-Thawra neighbourhood with artillery shells in Omdurman City during the night prayer on Sunday, resulting in the death of four civilians, including two children and the injury of 30 others.

The RSF shelling hit civilians homes, and the paramilitary group is yet to comment on the incident.

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. By Adel Abdel-Rahim and Ahmed Asmar, Anadolu Agency