KHARTOUM, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- At least 67 people were killed on Sunday in an artillery shelling by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur State in western Sudan, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) announced on Monday.

"Among the victims were 30 women, 17 children, and 20 men," the army's 6th Infantry Division said in a statement, identifying them as all civilians.

Clashes took place between the SAF and the RSF in the eastern part of El Fasher on Sunday and Monday, during which the SAF destroyed several RSF combat vehicles.

The armed confrontations between the SAF and the RSF have recently escalated on three fronts, including the capital Khartoum, the Gezira State in central Sudan, and around El Fasher city in western Sudan.

According to eyewitnesses, the Sudanese Air Force launched airstrikes on Monday targeting the south Khartoum area controlled by the RSF.

The SAF has recently made significant progress in Khartoum State, advancing its operations in the Bahri city and capturing several areas. However, the RSF still maintains a key stronghold in the city's East Nile area.

In Gezira state, the independent Sudan Tribune news portal reported that Abdallah Hussein, a key RSF commander in Gezira state, was killed on Monday along with a number of his forces in airstrikes on the outskirts of Al Kamlin city, north of Gezira state. The SAF is advancing to seize Al Kamlin, the RSF's last stronghold in the state.

Sudan has been gripped by a devastating conflict between the two parties since mid-April 2023, which claimed at least 29,683 lives and displaced over 15 million people, either inside or outside Sudan, according to the latest estimates by international organizations. Enditem

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