Fighting has continued to intensify in Sudan despite a ceasefire as Rapid Support Forces (RSF) push eastward in its battle with the Sudanese army.

On Thursday, the RSF launched drone strikes in the central Kordofan region, a strategic corridor between Darfur and Sudan.

A statement from the Sudanese army said Thursday’s attack targeted an army headquarters, an airport and a dam.

The strikes took place in Merowe, an area that has been under army control for months.

This recent advance follows the RSF’s capture of el-Fasher, the army’s last stronghold in western Darfur, in October.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 90,000 civilians have fled el-Fasher since it fell under RSF control.

Thousands of people were executed in a single by RSF fighters when they took the city.

The IOM says reports of similar brutality are beginning to circulate in the Kordofan region, where an estimated 50,000 people have fled. Residents in the city of Bara reported revenge killings, round-ups and summary executions.

Chad overwhelmed by Sudanese fleeing RSF: UN refugee agency

RSF and Sudanese army shift focus of battle

Though the RSF signed a US-backed ceasefire last week after international outcry over reports from el-Fasher, the Sudanese army has refused to sign the truce.

Observers suggest the fighting could soon center on el-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan and one of the largest cities in Sudan.

Troop buildups by the army and RSF have been reported in the area and civilians have mostly fled.

RSF has also surrounded an army base in West Kordofan, according to locals who spoke with Reuters news agency.

SPLM-N, an armed group allied with the RSF, claims it has encircled Sudanese troops and escalated attacks in the South Kordofan cities of Kadugli and Dalang.

Last week, a global hunger monitor said Kadugli was experiencing famine and that Dalang was likely also in famine, reflecting the impact of the siege of el-Fasher.

The war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary RSF, which erupted two-and-a-half years ago out of a power struggle that threatens to break up Sudan, has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced nearly 12 million and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

On Friday, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said, “Developments on the ground indicate clear preparations for intensified hostilities, with everything that implies for its long-suffering people.”

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Edited by Sean Sinico