The Sudanese army said on Tuesday that it had thwarted a drone attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on an air base in northern Sudan.

A military statement said that air defences intercepted several suicide drones targeting Merowe Air Base in the Northern State.

There was no immediate comment from the RSF on the army statement.

The army and RSF have been fighting a war since mid-April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 victims and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities.

Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.