Khartoum, Sep 16 (IANS): At least 40 civilians were killed in an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on a village in central Sudan, according to a local resistance committee.

"An RSF attack on Gouz Al-Naqa village of Abu Gouta area in Gezira State killed at least 40 civilians," Abu Gouta Resistance Committee, a non-governmental group, said in a statement.

Several corpses remained exposed in the village, as the RSF is preventing displaced villagers from returning to bury the dead, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting the statement.

The committee called on civil society organisations to put pressure on the RSF to allow residents to enter the village and bury the deceased.

The RSF has not yet made any comment about the attack.

The RSF took control of Gezira State in December 2023 after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) withdrew from Wad Madani, the capital of the state.

Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a violent conflict between the SAF and the RSF. The conflict has resulted in at least 16,650 deaths and displaced millions of people.