(MENAFN) The Sudanese military has fended off a fresh offensive by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeting Babnousa in West Kordofan, as stated by reports citing a military source.

According to the accounts, units from the army’s 22nd Infantry Division repelled RSF fighters who attempted to storm the city using both heavy and light weaponry. The source, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the RSF suffered “significant losses in personnel and equipment.”

Neither the army nor the RSF has released an official statement regarding the incident.

A day earlier, the RSF announced that its forces were moving closer to Babnousa with plans to seize control of the city, which has been encircled since January 2024. Local reports noted that in recent days, the military has repeatedly blocked RSF advances using artillery, drones, and armored units.

Relief groups reported that the army has also been air-dropping supplies to its soldiers still inside Babnousa. The city has no remaining civilian population after roughly 177,000 residents fled.

The RSF captured El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, last month and has been accused of committing massacres there. The group now holds all five states of the Darfur region. The military maintains control over most of the country’s remaining 13 states, including the capital, Khartoum.

Although Darfur covers about 20% of Sudan’s landmass, most of the nation’s 50 million people reside in territories held by the army. The conflict between the two sides, which erupted in April 2023, has resulted in at least 40,000 deaths and displaced 12 million people, according to international health estimates.

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