Sudan’s army said on Thursday that mass graves for hundreds of civilians were found in Omdurman, the twin city of Khartoum.

A military statement said 648 were held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) inside a school in “horrific and inhumane conditions” in the Salha neighbourhood in Omdurman.

“Some 465 people died and were buried in mass graves, some of which contained more than 27 bodies,” the army said.

There was no comment from the paramilitary group on the army’s statement.

Khartoum 'free of RSF': Sudan's army

On Tuesday, the Sudanese army declared Khartoum “completely free” of the RSF following months of intense warfare.

Since April 2023, the RSF has been battling the army for control of Sudan, resulting in thousands of deaths and creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

More than 20,000 people have been killed and 15 million displaced, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US scholars, however, puts the death toll at around 130,000.