Fighting raged in El Fasher, capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state, on Thursday as the army and allied forces battled the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with both sides deploying heavy weaponry, witnesses said.

The clashes, which erupted days ago, have caused a significant number of civilian casualties and forced residents to seek refuge in the Jebel Marra mountains.

“Since early morning, the army and RSF have exchanged intense artillery fire,” eyewitnesses told Sudan Tribune.

The army, positioned in the west of the city, shelled suspected RSF locations in the south and east, drawing retaliatory fire. Military warplanes conducted three bombing runs, dropping over 25 explosive barrels on RSF positions in eastern El Fasher, causing loud explosions and sending plumes of smoke into the air.

RSF-affiliated social media channels released videos claiming to show their forces advancing in south El Fasher and seizing the state police headquarters. However, a police source said the footage depicted the emergency police station, which was attacked on Wednesday, resulting in the death of a police colonel.

“All police headquarters in El Fasher remain under army control,” the source added after crushing the assailant RSF fighters.

The fighting marks an escalation in the conflict that began on May 10, with the RSF repeatedly attacking El Fasher in an attempt to wrest control of one of the last remaining government strongholds in Darfur.