At least 12 civilians killed in attacks by rebel faction in Sudan

At least 12 Sudanese civilians were killed in attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) in South Kordofan State, an activist group said on Wednesday.

Sudan Doctors Network said on the social media platform X that hundreds of families were also displaced in the assault in the Khor al-Dalib area since Monday.

RSF rebels and their allied Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) used heavy weapons in attacking residential areas in the southern Sudanese state, it added.

There was no immediate comment from the RSF on the report.

The Sudanese army controls vast swathes of territory in South Kordofan State amid an insurgency by the SPLM-N rebel group since 2011.

Last week, the army said that it had cleared the last RSF pockets in Khartoum, after regaining control of the capital's airport, security headquarters, and several neighborhoods in the east and south for the first time since April 2023.

In recent weeks, the territorial control of the RSF has been shrinking rapidly in favor of the army across several states, including Khartoum, Al-Jazira, White Nile, North Kordofan, Sennar, and Blue Nile.

The army and RSF have been fighting a war since April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million others, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.

The international community and the UN have called for an end to the war, 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.