At least 14 people, including five children and two women, were killed in an attack by Sudanese paramilitary forces and allied rebels in the central Kordofan region, a medical group said on Sunday.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), along with fighters from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, launched a major assault on Saturday on Dilling, the capital of South Kordofan. Sudan’s military said it repelled the attack after recently breaking an RSF siege on the শহর.

According to the Sudan Doctors Network, the attackers shelled residential areas during the offensive, which lasted several hours and left at least 23 others injured, including seven children.

Dilling had endured severe shortages resembling famine conditions during more than two years under RSF siege, when supply routes were cut and the area was frequently bombed. The military lifted the siege earlier this year.

The doctors’ group warned the situation could deteriorate further, drawing parallels with the Darfur city of El-Fasher, where intense violence erupted after an RSF offensive in October. A UN-commissioned report said the attack there bore signs consistent with genocide.

The conflict in Sudan began in April 2023 following a power struggle between the military and the RSF, which escalated into full-scale fighting in the capital Khartoum.

According to UN estimates, more than 40,000 people have been killed, though aid agencies believe the actual toll could be significantly higher.

Recent clashes have been concentrated in Darfur and Kordofan, where frequent drone strikes have caused heavy civilian casualties. The UN Human Rights Office said more than 500 civilians have been killed in drone attacks this year alone, as of mid-March.

The war has been marked by widespread abuses, including mass killings and sexual violence, which are under investigation by the International Criminal Court as possible war crimes and crimes against humanity.