Sudan army to deploy forces across the country: spokesperson

December 7, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) spokesman Colonel al-Sawarmi Khalid Sa’ad said they will deploy troops extensively across the country to enforce the state authority, stressing that they will continue their “Decisive Summer” campaign aimed at eradicating the insurgency.

The government is fighting the Sudan People Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) rebels in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan state for nearly 3 years, and other armed movements in Darfur since 2003.

The recent rounds of negotiations in Addis Ababa between Khartoum and insurgents over the conflicts in Darfur. South Kordofan and Blue Nile have failed to reach any settlement.

Col. Sa’ad told Ashorooq TV that SPLM-N attempts in South Kordofan to attack the army have failed which confirms that rebellion in the process of collapse after successive defeats suffered during SAF operations.

This week SAF accused SPLM-N of launching attacks in Blinga and al-Atmoor villages in South Kordofan which follows another attack the day before near Alahimr area.

SPLM-N however claimed that SAF initiated the attacks.

The bulletin of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan (OCHA) reported that eight people were killed by aerial bombing and ground fighting between government forces and the SPLM-N in the period between November 17-23 in the provinces of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

OCHA said it received reports of substantial increase in air strikes and ground fighting in parts of the Blue Nile State without figures on the rates of civilian displacement.

(ST)