Sudan’s army says preparing to seize rebels’ stronghold in South Kordofan

March 19, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s army announced on Monday that its forces were preparing to wrestle control of the main bastion of rebels fighting in the country’s border regions of South Kordofan.

The rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) has been fighting Sudanese government forces in the border region of South Kordofan as of June and in Blue Nile as of September last year.

Khartoum, which accuses neighboring South Sudan of supporting the rebels who fought as part of its army during the second Sudanese civil war, has vowed to crush the insurgency but appears to have little luck with that.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) managed last year to seize the SPLMN stronghold of Al-Kurmuk in Blue Nile but in South Kordofan the army appears to be struggling.

According to the commander-in-chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces’ (SAF) infantry division, Lt-Gen Abdul Moniem Saad, the army is determined to execute the orders of president Al-Bashir who promised that he would perform “prayer of thanks” in the SPLMN-stronghold in Kauda area in South Kordofan.

Al-Bashir made his promise earlier this month while addressing a rally to mobilize members of the paramilitary Popular Defense Forces (PDF) in the wake of an attack launched by the rebels on Jau disputed town on the borders with South Sudan. Khartoum accused South Sudan’s army of participating in the attack.

SAF commander, who was speaking at an event in Sudan’s capital on Monday, revealed that the PDF forces had promised to help the operation.

Al-Sawarmi Khalid Saad, SAF’s official spokesman, said this Monday that SPLMN rebels are preparing to launch a series of attacks in the next two days in South Kordofan with support from Juba.

The conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile has displaced more than 417,000 people, 80,000 fled to South Sudan, according to UN figures.

(ST)