KHARTOUM, Sudan
Fierce clashes continued for the second day on Thursday between the Sudanese army and its rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) near an oil refinery north of the capital Khartoum.
Plumes of smoke covered the sky over vast areas of Khartoum amid fighting between the two military rivals on the outskirts of Al-Jeili town, close to the oil refinery, eyewitnesses said.
Sudanese social media activists circulated footage showing the Sudanese army seizing control of the entrance to Al-Jeili town.
The RSF, for its part, claimed on Wednesday that its fighters had confronted an attack by the Sudanese army near the Al-Jeili oil refinery.
The facility is Sudan’s largest oil refinery and has been controlled by the RSF since the eruption of the current conflict in April 2023.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in mid-April 2023, has claimed more than 20,000 lives and displaced 14 million people, according to the UN and local authorities.
A study by US-based universities estimates the death toll at around 130,000.
International organizations have warned about a worsening humanitarian catastrophe, with millions facing famine and death due to food shortages amid fighting that has spread to 13 of Sudan’s 18 states.
