Intense mutual shelling continues today, Thursday, after the conclusion of a brief 72-hour truce between the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. Airstrikes were also reported early in the morning over Khartoum, where anti-aircraft fire was heard. The Sudanese army announced yesterday the resumption of its military operations following the expiration of the truce, conducting targeted operations in Omdurman. It noted that the Central Reserve Forces repelled an attack by the Rapid Support Forces on their camp and shot down a drone.
Witnesses reported that residents of Kadugli in southwestern Sudan began fleeing the city today amid escalating tensions between the army and a rebel group, which threatens to open another front in the ongoing war in the country. The buildup around Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan State, comes nearly ten weeks after fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, primarily concentrated in the capital Khartoum.
On Wednesday, the Sudanese army accused the Sudan People's Liberation Movement - North, led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, of violating a long-standing ceasefire agreement and attacking an army unit in Kadugli. The movement controls parts of South Kordofan State. The army claimed it repelled the attack but incurred losses. Residents reported that the army's airstrikes during its conflict with the Rapid Support Forces hit areas in southern Khartoum this morning, and the Rapid Support Forces responded with anti-aircraft weapons.
Sudan's main oil fields are located in South Kordofan, which shares borders with West Darfur State and South Sudan. Residents indicated that the Sudan People's Liberation Movement - North, which has close ties with South Sudan, attacked the army in the town of Delinj in South Kordofan on Wednesday, a move also taken by the Rapid Support Forces. Residents of Kadugli stated that the army redeployed its forces today to protect its positions in the city, while members of the people's movement gathered in suburban areas.
It is worth noting that the brief truce agreed upon by the warring parties in Jeddah took effect on Sunday morning after difficult days of intense fighting. Numerous truces have been announced between the two sides in recent months, but none lasted long, with both parties shifting the blame.
