Sudanese army kill over 50 rebels in South Kordofan - spokesperson

Khartoum
January 12, 2013 (Sudan Tribune)

Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) repulsed an attack on its positions southward of the capital of South Kordofan state where they killed over 50 rebels, said Al-Sawarmi Khaled spokesperson in a statement released on Friday .

The Sudanese troops are fighting since more than a year the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan where the rebels are mainly present in southern and eastern parts of the troubled state .

Last October, the SPLM-N shelled the state’s capital Kadugli saying they want to export the conflict to the government’s zones. SAF from its side, launched a counterattack with heavy aerial raids on the rebel positions to prevent such move.

Al-Sawarmi, in a statement issued late in Friday night, said the Sudanese troops killed more than 50 rebels and destroyed four tanks when the SPLM-N fighters attacked its positions in Hamra and El-Ahmier, two areas located 15 km south of the capital Kadugli.

The military spokesperson said the attack started on Friday morning when the rebels shelled the areas before to engage a large-scale offensive with a big number of fighters and eight tanks aiming to control advanced positions allowing them to shell the capital Kadugli, as he claimed.

Reached by telephone SPLM-N spokesperson Arno Lodi told Sudan Tribune on Saturday morning they did not yet get any details from their troops in the area about this operation.

Al-Sawarni said the army lost a number of soldiers without further details.

The African Union mediation team led by Thabo Mbeki did not yet announce a date for the resumption of humanitarian or political talks between the Sudanese government and the SPLM-N.

Khartoum says Juba must disengage with its former allies before to discuss a political settlement with the rebels.

The SPLM-N and its allied Darfur rebels in the Sudanese Revolutionary Front say they seek to bring down the regime. Also, they demand a holistic peace process to discuss a comprehensive solution for the conflicts in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

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