Fierce fighting continues around strategic camp south of Sudanese capital

KHARTOUM, Aug 22: The fierce clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continued on Monday around the strategic armored corps camp at Al-Shajara military area, south of the capital Khartoum.

"For the second day, the rebel militia attempted to enter the armored corps camp," Nabil Abdalla, the SAF's spokesman, said in a statement.

"Our forces repulsed the militia and inflicted heavy losses of lives and equipment on them," the statement said.

The RSF, for its part, said in a statement on Monday that its forces "achieved a great victory today in the battle at the armored corps in Khartoum, inflicting heavy losses among Al-Burhan's militia and the remnants of the defunct regime."

The statement noted that the RSF has controlled large parts of the armored corps camp, forcing the enemy forces to flee and take shelter in some buildings near the camp.

The RSF further said it had seized large military equipment, weapons and ammunition stores, 34 armored vehicles and tanks, 12 cannons, 78 vehicles, besides killing 260 and capturing hundreds of soldiers.

An eyewitness from the Al-Shajara area said the clashes continued between the Sudanese army and the RSF around the area.

"On Monday morning, the RSF started attacking the armored corps camp with heavy artillery, while the Sudanese army used warplanes to repulse the attack," the eyewitness told Xinhua on Monday.

The armored corps camp has been a major target for the RSF, where it had made several attempts to control it.

Meanwhile, the clashes between the two sides in Nyala, western Sudan, continued, during which the Commander of the 16th Infantry Division in Nyala Yasser Fadlalla Al-Khidr Al-Sayem was killed, said SAF in a statement.

Sudan has been witnessing deadly clashes between the SAF and the RSF in Khartoum and other areas since April 15, resulting in at least 3,000 deaths and more than 6,000 injuries, according to figures released by the Sudanese Health Ministry.