Sudanese army repels SPLM-N’s fresh attack on Kadugli
KADUGLI, September 27, 2023 – On Wednesday, the Sudanese army successfully thwarted a fresh assault launched by the forces of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North (SPLA-N), led by Abdel Aziz Al-Hilu on Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan State.
Since June of this year, the SPLM-N has escalated its military offensives against the Sudanese army, mounting attacks on army bases in Dilling and Kadugli in South Kordofan, as well as Kurmuk in the Blue Nile region. The group has also extended its control over several military positions.
In July, South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit, serving as a peace mediator between the conflicting parties, attempted to persuade the SPLM-N leadership to halt its offensive against the Sudanese army. More recently, Kiir engaged the President of Eritrea in his efforts to broker a truce between the two sides.
Military sources, speaking to Sudan Tribune, reported that “Sudanese army forces repelled an SPLA-N attack on Kadugli from the east and north directions.”
The sources elaborated that the SPLA-N infiltrated Tuesday morning through Jabal Hajar al-Mak Rahal and the Daraja Altalta neighbourhoods, launching a barrage of Katyusha rockets. The army responded to the attack, ultimately driving the assailants out of the city.
The attack on Kadugli prompted numerous residents of the eastern neighbourhoods to seek refuge in the city’s western areas.
The Sudanese army and SPLA-N al-Hilu unilaterally implemented a truce to create a conducive environment for peace talks following the fall of the previous regime in April 2019.
Abdallah Khamis, the Humanitarian Aid Commissioner in South Kordofan State, disclosed in press statements that the number of displaced individuals in the state due to clashes between the army and the SPLM-N has reached 100,000, with the majority enduring challenging and complex living conditions.
South Kordofan’s capital is encircled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which control the Kadugli-Al-Obeid Road, while the SPLA-N forces govern the Dilling-Kadugli road. Consequently, the city grapples with shortages of both medicine and food supplies.
In a related development, Sudanese army Brigadier General Kafi Tayyar Albadeen revealed that he received a letter from the SPLA-N Chief of Staff Izzat Koko Angelo on September 14. Albadeen characterized the contents of the letter as “false information.”
“The Chief of Staff of the SPLA, Izzat Koko, claimed that I was the one who handed over to him the Sudanese army garrisons east of Kadugli without significant resistance, which enabled them to seize a large number of weapons and military vehicles. He also invited me to join the Movement while ensuring my safety in areas under their control,” Albadeen stated during a press conference held in Kadugli on Tuesday.
He emphatically denied these claims, asserting, “I am the person who fought the SPLM the most, and I am still fighting it. I did not hand them any military equipment or give army garrisons as they claimed.”
Albadeen believed that the SPLA-N’s intent in sending the letter was to sow discord between him and the Sudanese army, fracture the unity of the Nuba people, and erode their trust in their unwavering support for the Sudanese army.
He strongly criticized the SPLM-N al-Hilu faction, accusing them of violating the ceasefire agreement and reigniting conflict in South Kordofan. He pointed out that the SPLA-N’s war-centric approach had not benefitted the Nuba people and the residents of South Kordofan State over nearly four decades.
Notably, Al-Badeen leads an armed militia in South Kordofan, which fights alongside the Sudanese army in the Nuba Mountains. He also holds the position of tribal leader in the Eastern Buram area, east of Kadugli, with the ousted President Omar al-Bashir having bestowed upon him the rank of brigadier general in the army.
(ST)