Forty people reportedly killed in southern Sudan

At least 40 people were killed in southern Sudan, two people who took part in the burials said on Monday.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) alleged that the Sudanese army struck the village of Komo in southern Kordofan on Saturday, but a military source, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the army "does not bomb civilians or target civilian infrastructure."

The conflict in Sudan has so far killed tens of thousands, displaced 12 million and created the world's largest hunger and displacement crises.

The southern Kordofan region has seen fierce fighting as the army seeks to push the RSF away from the vital highway linking the capital Khartoum to Darfur, where the military lost its last stronghold in October.

Thousands of people displaced

According to United Nations figures, close to 5,000 people were displaced in November from small villages in South Kordofan state due to "heightened insecurity."

The military source said troops in the state were "repelling" RSF, who, he said, had "attacked and bombarded several villages with drones."

For most of the war, paramilitary forces have besieged army garrisons in Kordofan's main cities, including West Kordofan state's Babanousa.