CAIRO, August 29. /TASS/. At least 39 civilians, including women and children, were killed in west Sudan’s Darfur as shelling hit their homes, Sky News Arabia reported, citing human rights activists.

According to them, the attack occurred in Nyala, the capital of Darfur South state. The city has one of the densest populations in the region, accounting for, according to preliminary estimates, a fourth of Sudan’s population of some 48 million.

Earlier this month, fierce battles erupted in the region between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. According to the United Nations, since August 11, at least 60 civilians have been killed with 250 more people being wounded in intense clashes. A total of 50,000 people have fled their homes.

The situation in Sudan escalated in April amid disagreements between the army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also heads the ruling Sovereignty Council, and Sudanese paramilitary leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The main points of contention between the two military organizations are related to the timeline and methods of forming unified armed forces of Sudan, as well as who should become the commander-in-chief of the army: a career military officer, which is an option supported by al-Burhan, or an elected civilian president, as Dagalo insists. On April 15, armed clashes between the rival military factions erupted near a military base in Merowe and in the capital, Khartoum. According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, more than 4,000 people have been killed since the start of the hostilities.