Khartoum: The Sudanese army announced on Tuesday that it successfully thwarted an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Babnousa, a city located in West Kordofan state in the southern region of the country.

According to Anadolu Agency, the army spokesman accused the RSF of consistently targeting Babnousa with artillery shelling and the use of "strategic drones," despite a previously declared unilateral ceasefire by the rebel group. The spokesman stated that the army forces "decisively repelled" the latest assault on the city.

The Babnousa Emergency Room, a local relief committee, reported that approximately 177,000 residents have fled the city due to ongoing RSF bombardments. Babnousa has been under siege for more than two years. The army described the ceasefire announced by the RSF and its allied forces as a "political and media ploy," intended to obscure their military maneuvers on the ground.

RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo declared a three-month unilateral truce on November 24 in Sudan, despite his forces expanding control in the Darfur and Kordofan states and attacking civilians. The army spokesperson reiterated their commitment to international humanitarian law, the protection of civilians, and the facilitation of humanitarian work, emphasizing that they would not allow the humanitarian situation to be exploited as a cover for military activities that exacerbate the crisis.

The RSF has not issued an immediate response to the army's statement. Of Sudan's 18 states, the RSF controls all five states of the Darfur region in the west, except for some northern parts of North Darfur that remain under army control. Meanwhile, the army maintains control over most areas of the remaining 13 states in the south, north, east, and center, including the capital, Khartoum.

The ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has resulted in the deaths of at least 40,000 people and the displacement of 12 million, according to the World Health Organization.