Khartoum, Sep 30 (IANS): The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on Monday denied an accusation by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of bombing the residence of its ambassador in Khartoum.

"The SAF asserts that it does not target the headquarters of diplomatic missions, United Nations agencies, or voluntary organizations, and does not turn them into military bases or loot their assets," the statement said.

The SAF held the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) responsible for carrying out the attacks, adding that the SAF only "targets areas where the militia (RSF) is present, which it is within its right to defend the Sudanese nation."

Earlier on Monday, the UAE Foreign Ministry strongly condemned what it termed "the heinous attack that targeted the residence of the UAE head of mission in Khartoum by a Sudanese army aircraft," Xinhua news agency reported.

The attack resulted in extensive damage to the building, the ministry said, urging the Sudanese army to assume full responsibility for "this cowardly act."

The RSF has not yet commented on the SAF's accusation or the attack itself.

The SAF launched a significant offensive on September 26 against the RSF in the capital, Khartoum, marking its most substantial effort in months to regain control of the city, according to military sources and witnesses.

Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a violent conflict between the SAF and the RSF, resulting in approximately 20,000 deaths, thousands of injuries, and the displacement of millions of people, according to the latest estimates by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.