Khartoum, Aug 12 (IANS): The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have announced that it had killed 26 members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in clashes near the city of El-Obeid in North Kordofan State, about 330 km southwest of capital Khartoum.

The SAF said on Friday in a statement that its special forces launched an attack on RSF militants in the Farajallah district near El-Obeid, killing 26 of them and destroying two combat vehicles, Xinhua news agency reported.

Eyewitnesses told Xinhua that SAF's air force continued to bombard RSF strongholds south of Khartoum and in the adjacent city of Omdurman.

The Darfur Bar Association announced on Friday that five civilians were killed in clashes between the SAF and the RSF in Sudan's southwestern South Darfur State.

The association said in a statement that the civilians were killed on Thursday evening in an exchange of artillery bombardment between the two sides in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state.

The association called for an immediate end to the ongoing war to spare the country further loss of lives and destruction.

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.