Three injured as rebels shell South Kordofan capital

December 14, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Three people were injured in South Kordofan’s capital of Kadugli following a round of shelling carried out by rebels from Sudan People Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) that hit several neighborhoods in the city.

The deputy governor of South Kordofan Kamal Ballah described the incident to pro-government Ashorooq as a “hostile act against innocent women and children for the purpose of intimidation adding to their record of violations and continuous crimes”.

“But we will be ready for them” Ballah added. “These random rockets on Kadugli will not frustrate us”.

Ballah stressed that they have the ability to respond to the attacks and inflict large losses on them until they agree to peace.

The Sudan army spokesperson Colonel Al-Sawarmi Khalid Sa’ad told Agence France Presse (AFP) that five SPLM-N mortar bombs struck Kadugli on Saturday morning and the army responded with Katyusha rocket fire.

SPLM-N spokesman Arnu Ngutulu Lodi confirmed to AFP some shells had landed “inside Kadugli” in an action which followed intense government aerial bombing and a ground attack west of the state capital.

“This could be the retaliation,” he said.

The border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile state has been the scene of violent conflict since 2011 when the SPLM-N launched an insurgency against the Khartoum regime.

Peace talks between the two parties remain deadlocked after they failed to reach a common ground for negotiations. While the government says it is only willing to discuss the conflict in the Two Areas, the SPLM-N is demanding a comprehensive peace process.

(ST)