Khartoum, Oct 22 (IANS): More than 10 people have been killed in an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on cities and villages in central Sudan, a local non-governmental group announced.

"Yesterday (Sunday) and today (Monday), large numbers of the Janjaweed militia attacked the eastern region of Gezira State and committed massacres in Tamboul and Rufaa cities as well as several villages," the non-governmental resistance committee in Wad Madani, the capital city of the Gezira state, said in a statement on Monday.

"The militia killed more than ten people and injured a large number of others according to what has been counted so far," the committee noted.

On Sunday, eyewitnesses said that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) took control of Tamboul city after the RSF Commander in central Sudan, Abu Aqla Keikel, surrendered himself with his forces to the SAF, reports Xinhua news agency.

However, the resistance committees in Rufaa city said in a statement on Monday that RSF units on Sunday evening launched a counter-attack on the city and forced the SAF to withdraw.

The committees described the RSF attacks on Tamboul and other eastern Gezira villages as "reprisal operations."

The paramilitary forces have not yet commented on the attacks.

The RSF took control of Gezira State in December 2023 after the SAF withdrew from Wad Madani.

Sudan has been ravaged by a deadly conflict between the SAF and the RSF since mid-April 2023. According to a situation report issued by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project on October 14, the deadly conflict has resulted in more than 24,850 deaths.