South Kordofan rebels say they defeated army on all fronts

January 6, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Rebel groups in South Kordofan said they had defeated the Sudanese army (SAF) in different areas of the border state, asserting the failure of a campaign announced last month to rid the area of rebel troops.

The Sudanese Revolutionary Front’s (SFR) military spokesperson, Godi Rmboi, and SPLM-N official spokesperson Arnu Lodi released two statements on Monday dismissing a communique by the Sudanese army about the recapture of three areas in the western part of the Nuba Mountains.

SAF spokesperson Al-Sawarmi Khaled said on Friday that the army had managed to retake Trogi, Angolo, and Al-Dabkaya where forces of the rebel alliance, including the SPLM-N and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), are based.

“The joint forces of Sudanese Revolutionary Front managed to destroy and disperse eight military convoys (…) in a battle that lasted for 24 hours from 4 January at 3pm, to 3pm of second day of 5 January”, Rmboi said.

In a separate statement, Lodi claimed that on 5 January SPLM-N fighters had defeated SAF military convoys in Timbera village in Hieban county.

He further reported that SPLM-N combatants inflicted heavy losses on Sudanese troops in Abassya county on 4 January.

The “so called first phase of [Sudan’s ruling] NCP regime dry season offensive completely failed”, Lodi said.

On 26 December, Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir vowed to end Sudan’s rebellions, adding that a military campaign in Darfur will follow ongoing attacks on the positions of rebel groups in South Kordofan.

(ST)