Sudanese Army Announces Repulsion of Rapid Support Forces Attack on Babnouce

SadaNews - The Sudanese army announced that it successfully thwarted "with force and decisiveness an attack by the Rapid Support Forces militia on Babnouce in West Kordofan," just a day after the army confirmed significant progress on all fronts in the West and South Kordofan states.

The office of the spokesperson for the Sudanese army stated in a statement that what it described as the Rapid Support Forces militia has been targeting the city of Babnouce daily with artillery shelling and strategic drones, despite the announcement by its leader of a ceasefire and a unilateral truce.

It emphasized that the truce declared by the Rapid Support Forces is "nothing but a misleading political and media maneuver aimed at covering up their field movements and the ongoing flow of external support to fuel the war and kill Sudanese people."

It stressed that the armed forces are committed to international humanitarian law, the protection of civilians, and facilitating humanitarian work, and they will not allow the humanitarian situation to be exploited as a cover for military movements that exacerbate the crisis. They will continue to fulfill their duty to protect the state and citizens with full responsibility and efficiency, as stated in the statement.

Advances in West and South Kordofan

Earlier, an official source stated that the Sudanese army and supporting forces struck strongholds of the Rapid Support Forces, confirming that the army is making significant progress on all fronts in West and South Kordofan states.

The source confirmed that the air force conducted successful strikes against the Rapid Support Forces' strongholds.

For its part, a military source in the Sudanese army told Al Jazeera that the army and its supporting forces advanced west of the city of Al-Abassiya Takali in South Kordofan state, securing control over the towns of Damarah, Tabasah, Al-Mourayb, and Qardoud after fighting against the Popular Movement's group led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, which is allied with the Rapid Support Forces.

The source noted that the forces of the Popular Movement withdrew to the Tasi area in South Kordofan state. The Popular Movement had controlled these towns since 2011.

Members of the army released video clips announcing their control over the Tabasah and Damarah areas amid the joy of citizens who were chanting takbeers and praises.

Meanwhile, the army is trying to lift the siege on the besieged city of Babnouce by the Rapid Support Forces, as well as on the cities of Kadugli, the state capital, and Dalanj.

A military source stated that the army repelled a fierce attack by the Rapid Support Forces on the headquarters of the 22nd Infantry Division in the city of Babnouce, West Kordofan.

The three states of Kordofan (North, West, and South) have witnessed fierce clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces for weeks, leading to the displacement of tens of thousands recently.

Source: Al Jazeera