AL-OBEID, Sudan — Sudanese warplanes carried out airstrikes on positions of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) across North and West Kordofan in central Sudan, local media reported on Saturday.

The attacks targeted key deployment areas in Bara, West Al-Obeid, Al-Khuwi, Abu Zabd, Al-Nuhud, and Babanousa, according to the Sudanese outlet Sudan News.

Military sources said at least 20 RSF combat vehicles were destroyed in the strikes.

Army forces also targeted Al-Mazoub in North Kordofan and Umm Marahik and Ayal Bakhit in West Kordofan, where active RSF movements had reportedly been detected.

The sources added that two fuel tanks and an ammunition truck were hit, with dozens of RSF fighters killed or wounded in the initial assessment.

According to the report, the airstrikes came after the army monitored RSF fighters and foreign mercenaries preparing to launch a large-scale offensive on the city of Al-Obeid.

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

Since April 15, 2023, the Sudanese army and the RSF have been locked in a war that regional and international mediation efforts have so far failed to end.

The conflict has killed about 20,000 people and displaced over 15 million as refugees and internally displaced persons, according to UN and local reports. — Agencies