The RSF acknowledged the attack in a statement Wednesday and said it was a pre-emptive attack on Sudan’s Armed Forces (SAF), camps in Wad Al-Noura in response to a planned attack by the army. They did not acknowledge the civilian deaths reported.

According to the RSF, eight of its fighters were killed, others injured, and they seized vehicles, weapons, and military equipment during the operation.

However, eyewitnesses told CNN that there is no military presence in the village, adding that the Sudanese army operates a military base about 30 km (19 miles) southwest of Wad Al-Noura, which is being cited as a possible reason for the attack.

CNN has contacted both RSF and https KRAKEN the Sudanese Army for comment.

The leader of the SAF vowed to retaliate after arriving in a city near the attack where he visited survivors, according to state news agency SUNA. "The response to the militia’s crimes against the martyrs of [Wad al-Nour] will be severe and harsh," warned Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, SAF Commander-in-Chief and President of the Sudanese Transitional