Sudanese army repulse rebel attack on recently captured town in S. Kordofan
June 9, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) has repulsed a rebel attempt to recapture Alatmor, a strategic town leading to the headquarters of the Sudan People’s Liberation MovementNorth (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan, a military spokesperson said on Monday.
On the other hand, the rebels announced they staged a military campaign targeting the state capital, Kadugli, adding they partially retook the control of Alatmor.
SAF spokesperson; Alsawarmi Khaled said the SPLM-N fighters launched a “suicide attack” on Alatmor but “the armed forces managed to disperse them and killed one hundred and ten” rebels, “while the rest of the assailants fled the battlefield , leaving behind a large number of military hardware”.
The eastern South Kordofan town is located 93 kilometres from Kauda, a stronghold rebel town where are the military and political headquarters of the SPLM-N.
The regular army backed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia seized Alatmor on 6 June, after the capture of Dalko, another town in the eastern part of South Kordofan on 20 May.
SPLM-N spokesperson, Arnu Ngutulu Loddi, said their forces now “partially control” Alatmor, adding the fighting will “continue until the liberation of Alatmor and Alhamra and advancing into Kadugli city”.
He added they inflicted heavy losses among SAF forces and only lost three fighters. While Khaled said 4 soldiers were killed during the rebel attack.
The two warring parties failed to conclude a framework agreement before to engage in talks to settle the 3-year conflict. Also, the government intensified attacks on the rebels and mobilised important number of troops and militiamen in a military campaign called “Decisive Summer”.
UNOCHA said in its weekly bulletin that reports from the troubled state indicate that fighting between the government forces and rebel fighters continue to affect civilians there, adding that “the SPLM-N areas in South Kordofan are experiencing the highest (emergency) levels of food insecurity in Sudan”.
The UN agency further said more civilians fled the rebel held areas and sought shelter in the government controlled areas.
“In total, 13,000 people have fled fighting in SPLM-N areas” in South Kordofan over the past few weeks, according to HAC and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
(ST)