Fierce clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continued for a second day on Thursday in the town of Jili, north of Khartoum, in an attempt to take control of the Jili oil refinery amid rising clouds of smoke.

On Wednesday, the army launched a major attack on areas north of the town of Bahri, taking control of the town of Jili and the areas of Kabashi and Sakai, according to eyewitnesses and local media.

For its part, the Rapid Support Forces said in a brief statement that it had repelled an army attack on the El-Geili refinery.

The refinery is the country’s largest oil refinery, built in the 1990s and located north of the city of Bahri, and has been controlled by the RSF since fighting broke out in mid-April 2023.